Episode 21

Prepping for the Storms

Preparing for inclement weather and ensuring the safety of students, staff, and properties is a critical responsibility for Cobb Schools. The podcast features insights from Matt Sanders, the Senior Executive Director of Transportation, and Jason Wheeler, the Senior Executive Director of Maintenance, who detail the collaborative efforts of their departments in facing unpredictable weather challenges. They discuss the extensive planning and real-time decision-making that goes into keeping schools safe during severe weather events, including snow, ice, and thunderstorms. Both professionals emphasize the importance of communication and readiness, sharing how they monitor conditions and coordinate responses to ensure student safety. With dedicated staff working around the clock, the episode highlights their commitment to making informed decisions that prioritize the well-being of the entire school community.

Guests:

  • Jason Wheeler, Senior Executive Director of Maintenance
  • Matt Sanders, Senior Executive Director of Transportation

Useful links from the podcast:

Podcast Home:

https://the-inside-scoop.captivate.fm/

Cobb Schools on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/@TheRealCobbSchools

Give us a review:

https://www.podchaser.com/TheInsideScoop


Here's the link to let us know what you'd like to hear:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VYTRCLG


Cobb Sports Podcast:

https://cobb-sports.captivate.fm/episodes


The Cobb County School District:

https://www.cobbk12.org


Takeaways:

  • Cobb County Schools prioritize safety, coordinating closely during inclement weather to protect students.
  • Dedicated maintenance and transportation teams work tirelessly to ensure school properties are safe.
  • Weather forecasts can be unpredictable, impacting school operations and necessitating quick decisions.
  • Real-time communication and technology play vital roles in keeping parents informed about transportation delays.
  • Buses are strategically positioned to streamline operations and ensure prompt service during winter weather.
  • In emergencies, all staff are ready to assist, fostering a collaborative and safe environment.
Transcript
David Owen:

What happens when bad weather may be heading our way?

David Owen:

We'll find out on this episode of the Inside Scoop.

David Owen:

Hello and welcome back to the Inside Scoop.

David Owen:

I'm David Owen.

David Owen:

You know, weather here in Georgia can be tricky to forecast in the fall.

David Owen:

It's.

David Owen:

What's the track of that hurricane going to be in the winter?

David Owen:

It's kind of what we had recently.

David Owen:

Is it going to be snow, an ice storm?

David Owen:

Is it going to be clear blue skies in the springtime?

David Owen:

We get to find out if those thunderstorms are going to get really bad or if tornadoes are going to show up.

David Owen:

These and other weather related threats can create conditions that put our students and staff at risk.

David Owen:

Though we don't have a chief meteorologist on staff, we do have some dedicated professionals who make sure that when people are in our buses or on our campuses, they're as safe as possible.

David Owen:

Two of those dedicated professionals are with us today.

David Owen:

Matt Sanders, senior executive director of transport, and Jason Wheeler, the senior executive director of maintenance.

David Owen:

Welcome to the podcast, gentlemen.

Matt Sanders:

Thank you.

Jason Wheeler:

Thank you.

David Owen:

So, and Jason, you used to be over technology, right?

Jason Wheeler:

Infrastructure.

Jason Wheeler:

Infrastructure, yes, sir.

David Owen:

Okay.

David Owen:

All right.

David Owen:

So you've got your hands full.

David Owen:

You're still doing that, right?

Jason Wheeler:

I am currently.

Jason Wheeler:

Dual role.

David Owen:

Well, we are going to limit the discussion to just taking care of the buildings and prepping things for bad weather situations.

David Owen:

We're recording this shortly after a couple of very eventful weather days.

David Owen:

One we started off basically thinking, oh, it's going to be a lot of snow.

David Owen:

And I saw one forecast, it was like 16 inches or something crazy like that.

David Owen:

And then it settled down and we ended up with about 4 inches.

David Owen:

And then I think it was maybe a week and a half later we got another forecast of we're going to have some big snow.

David Owen:

And then that turned out to be nothing here in Cobb, basically.

David Owen:

Maybe a ice patch or two.

David Owen:

So those decisions on when students and staff go into the schools, that's not the sort of thing you guys are involved with, right?

Jason Wheeler:

That's the superintendent's decision.

David Owen:

What is your role?

David Owen:

Each of your department's roles relating to his decision making.

David Owen:

Are you involved in gathering information about each of the sites?

David Owen:

Because we got 112 schools, right?

Jason Wheeler:

Yes, sir.

Jason Wheeler:

120 plus facilities.

Jason Wheeler:

So that's for students and staff.

David Owen:

Okay.

Jason Wheeler:

So yeah, we're involved with that as far as our chief will reach out to us and ask how things are going and what things look like at that point.

Jason Wheeler:

We'll check from the maintenance side and technology side.

Jason Wheeler:

We'll check for Network infrastructure, if it's working, if our network's up and running with that, ALC is online, which monitors our heat in all the schools and facilities.

David Owen:

Oh, okay.

David Owen:

So you've got sensors out there like smart thermostats and that sort of thing?

Jason Wheeler:

Yes, sir.

Jason Wheeler:

So we can feel the temperature in every classroom and every hallway and every building in the Cobb county school district.

Jason Wheeler:

So we check all that, make sure that's all up and running and working.

Jason Wheeler:

And then once that's checked on the interior.

Jason Wheeler:

So we've got network, we've got heat in the buildings, then we make sure that the exterior of the building, sidewalks and parking lots are safe for students and staff to report.

David Owen:

I'm sure the maintenance guys are out looking for those slip and fall opportunities.

David Owen:

Yeah.

Jason Wheeler:

So we go back to the snow that we did receive last week.

Jason Wheeler:

It didn't come in until Friday and Friday morning, Sunday morning, the maintenance guys all reported, I say all, probably half of the maintenance staff, 60 plus guys reported Sunday morning at 7 o'clock.

Jason Wheeler:

And half of those guys worked all the way through until 9:30 the next morning.

Jason Wheeler:

So they worked a 27 hour shift clearing parking lots and sidewalks just to get that done.

Jason Wheeler:

So we had salt trucks out there, salt in the parking lots that were, that didn't receive any sunlight.

Jason Wheeler:

So if they were shady areas, they had to be salted.

Jason Wheeler:

We had skid steers and many excavators out there running, clearing the ice and snow, salting the stairs to portables and ramps to portables, clearing the bus lanes.

David Owen:

I can imagine from the transportation side, it's just as in depth.

David Owen:

You got a lot of, lot of streets and parking lots to be aware of and know what their status is.

David Owen:

Does your team, if it's an event.

Matt Sanders:

That occurs overnight, you know those surprise events where you wake up next morning, there's snow all over the ground that you didn't think was coming.

Matt Sanders:

We'll have people on the road at 3:30 in the morning checking the roads.

David Owen:

Okay.

Matt Sanders:

Versus where school's being closed for two or three days.

Matt Sanders:

We're going back, going back to school on this day.

Matt Sanders:

Bus drivers will report at 5am okay.

Matt Sanders:

Just to make sure the bus is cranked warm and on time.

David Owen:

I think a lot of our listeners or viewers don't realize how big the Cobb schools transportation system is.

David Owen:

How many buses do you guys operate?

Matt Sanders:

10, 20 buses are in our inventory right now.

David Owen:

Wow.

David Owen:

And Marta is what, 800?

Matt Sanders:

Yeah.

Matt Sanders:

Rough.

Matt Sanders:

Yeah, they're between 8 and 900.

David Owen:

That's incredible.

David Owen:

So going back to the buses you guys essentially pre position to what does that benefit you in doing that way?

Matt Sanders:

When it's not bad weather, we may have buses parked at 30 schools.

David Owen:

Okay.

Matt Sanders:

You know, a lot of them will park their elementary school and run their routes right in there in that area.

David Owen:

Sure.

Matt Sanders:

Well, I don't have that many mechanics to work on buses that don't start.

Matt Sanders:

So when we consolidate and park all the buses in nine locations, I have enough mechanics to send out there and get the buses started so that we can run on time.

David Owen:

Okay, well, that's kind of important.

David Owen:

And the buses operate primarily on diesel.

David Owen:

Do we have any wealth?

Matt Sanders:

Majority of our buses are diesel, which are not cold friendly whatsoever.

Matt Sanders:

We have some gasoline buses and we have been increasing our propane fleet.

Matt Sanders:

Oh, gasoline.

Matt Sanders:

And propane will start just like your car will.

David Owen:

Yeah.

Matt Sanders:

But the diesels is.

Matt Sanders:

Is the problem.

David Owen:

It's a real challenge.

Matt Sanders:

Yeah, they, they're real cold nature.

David Owen:

Yeah.

David Owen:

And I know that one of the reason that one of the reasons diesel used to be preferred is because the price was so much lower than regular gas.

David Owen:

I don't know what that's like nowadays, but I mean, any insights on that?

Matt Sanders:

Yeah, it's upside down now.

David Owen:

Is it really?

Matt Sanders:

Yeah.

Matt Sanders:

Diesel is more expensive than gasoline and propane, so.

David Owen:

Wow, that's amazing the times we live in.

David Owen:

We'll put it that way.

Matt Sanders:

Exactly.

David Owen:

All right, so Jason, just a minute ago you were saying, you guys check all these various things.

David Owen:

What are the different systems in a building that, I mean, you told us about like hallway temperatures and stuff, just to make sure the H Vac primarily in this season, the heating is working.

David Owen:

Right.

Jason Wheeler:

So when we're walking the buildings, making sure that the heat, we can look remotely and check the heat, but we have to go to the buildings physically and walk to make sure there hadn't been any roof leaks, any frozen pipes or busted and ceiling tiles or fell in or anything of that nature.

Jason Wheeler:

So that's all having to walk every school and look in every classroom just to make sure that we're good.

Jason Wheeler:

And usually that kind of stuff comes from, like you said, frozen pipes.

Jason Wheeler:

Or there could be snow accumulation on a roof which caused a leak there and came through the roof and through the ceiling.

Jason Wheeler:

So we check for all that stuff just to make sure schools are ready for students to enter the building.

David Owen:

And ice is no friend to any structure.

Jason Wheeler:

No Sir.

David Owen:

Right.

Jason Wheeler:

That's 100% sure.

Jason Wheeler:

And usually the ice stuff for water pipes we don't find until days later.

Jason Wheeler:

Water lines freeze and they stay froze.

Jason Wheeler:

And everything else could Be gone.

Jason Wheeler:

And then finally when the water lines thaw out, then we find the leads.

David Owen:

Then they let you know, then they.

Jason Wheeler:

Let us know for sure.

David Owen:

So we mentioned.

David Owen:

I think in your case, you were talking about school district buildings that aren't just schools.

David Owen:

We've got support buildings, maintenance facilities and that sort of thing.

David Owen:

You said 120 locations.

Jason Wheeler:

120 plus locations.

Jason Wheeler:

You know, with all of our public safety, our data centers, our Kennesaw warehouse, our admin buildings for, like, adult ed and things of that nature.

David Owen:

Okay.

David Owen:

Now, we've.

David Owen:

We've kind of been focusing on the weather we've experienced lately, but there's other stuff to consider as well, like in the open.

David Owen:

I was talking about the potential for thunderstorms and high winds and that sort of thing.

David Owen:

How does that affect your.

David Owen:

Your decision making on.

David Owen:

On running the buses there?

Matt Sanders:

Believe it or not, there are guidelines that tell us a bus shouldn't operate if sustained winds are greater than 45 miles an hour.

David Owen:

Wow.

Matt Sanders:

And so we look at sustained winds, which is primarily a problem in thunderstorms.

David Owen:

Okay.

Matt Sanders:

And if we get in that situation, we do a ground stop, you know.

David Owen:

Yeah.

Matt Sanders:

Wherever you're at, stop.

Matt Sanders:

You know, take shelter.

David Owen:

And all that takes is one location to report those high winds.

David Owen:

And.

Matt Sanders:

Well, in spring weather is one of the biggest challenges.

David Owen:

Yeah.

Matt Sanders:

Because we may have a huge thunderstorm going on south part of the county, sunshine in the north part of the county.

Matt Sanders:

So we may actually suspend service in the south part of the county until the storm passes, but continue normal operations in the north.

David Owen:

Okay.

David Owen:

So in that case, it's just a matter of a little bit of a delay Right.

David Owen:

Till the storm passes.

David Owen:

Whereas in the case of the superintendent saying, no, we're not going to have school today because of ice and snow, you have to shut down the entire district in that situation.

David Owen:

Right.

David Owen:

I think academically that's the case.

David Owen:

So what about on the maintenance side?

David Owen:

Do thunderstorms?

David Owen:

I mean, I can imagine the technology aspect, which is not part of maintenance technically, but.

Jason Wheeler:

Yeah.

David Owen:

So.

Jason Wheeler:

Well, with thunderstorms comes high winds and lightning.

Jason Wheeler:

Lightning takes power out, trees fall, that takes out power and network.

Jason Wheeler:

So there's a lot of variables that come with that.

Jason Wheeler:

So we just have to monitor all systems remotely.

Jason Wheeler:

At that point, if we see a network or something go down, then we have to be on scene to find out why.

Jason Wheeler:

Whether a tree fell on it or lightning hit and took out a UPS or something like that.

David Owen:

Yeah.

David Owen:

So there are a lot of variables that it could be a number of things that are causing a Power outage.

David Owen:

I remember the other day, a driver ran into a telephone pole.

Jason Wheeler:

I think the pole was broke from the car wreck.

Jason Wheeler:

And when Georgia Power replaced the pole, the fiber was damaged, which took down the network on the south side.

Jason Wheeler:

So half the schools in the district had no network because of that accident.

David Owen:

Wow.

David Owen:

Just that one telephone pole knocked out.

Jason Wheeler:

Yes.

David Owen:

All of that communication.

David Owen:

Wow.

David Owen:

And transportation wise, how does that impact you guys?

Matt Sanders:

Well, I actually found out about the accident before I knew there was no power at school because we got notice from COB PD and Cobb dot Bad accident.

Matt Sanders:

Power lines down, roads closed.

Matt Sanders:

And first thing we think is, okay, we've got to reroute the buses.

David Owen:

Yeah.

Matt Sanders:

Then I get a call, there's no power at school.

Matt Sanders:

So we're thinking, okay, if they don't get power restored, we've got to take these students to a different location.

Matt Sanders:

So we start thinking about all of that.

Matt Sanders:

So it's.

Matt Sanders:

We worked more closely together than people think we do.

David Owen:

Yeah.

David Owen:

I mean, you have to.

David Owen:

Right.

David Owen:

One incident can affect everybody.

David Owen:

And a lot of people don't realize that if power's out for too long, it gets really cold in those buildings and students aren't very happy.

David Owen:

Nobody's happy at that point.

David Owen:

So if the event plays out as you're expecting, that's one thing.

David Owen:

But what do you do if you have a circumstance where you got one forecast that, you know, everybody's like, okay, it's going to be such and such an event, and then it doesn't play out that way.

David Owen:

So, for example, one thing that comes to my mind is the.

David Owen:

I think it was:

David Owen:

We knew we were going to get a lot of rain, but nobody thought, holy cow, this thing is going to be a 500 year flood event.

David Owen:

That's got to be unnerving in both of your cases, right?

Jason Wheeler:

Oh, yeah.

David Owen:

I mean, how would, how would you respond?

David Owen:

If it's obvious water's coming up, we've.

Jason Wheeler:

Got to get people on site immediately to the schools that are in those affected areas.

Jason Wheeler:

As you're bringing water, like Clarkdale Elementary School was one of the schools that was affected by that.

Jason Wheeler:

We have to get power shut off to the building.

Jason Wheeler:

As water rises into the building, you can't have electricity on it, which means you got to shut the network down.

Jason Wheeler:

Heating and air has to be shut down.

Jason Wheeler:

We have to get students out of the building, which then leads to Matt having to, on the spot, get transportation involved.

David Owen:

A lot of coordination.

Jason Wheeler:

There's a lot of coordination in an event.

Jason Wheeler:

Like that.

David Owen:

And then in your case, your drivers aren't trained to drive through deep water.

David Owen:

I mean, it can really become troublesome fast.

David Owen:

Right.

Matt Sanders:

In that particular instance, the school actually reached out directly to their point of contact before they contacted any of us, which they should do.

David Owen:

Okay.

Matt Sanders:

Because that enabled our people who were on the ground to get buses rolling before, you know, oh, I got to call the executive director and tell him what's going on and check with him.

Matt Sanders:

No, it don't work like that.

David Owen:

So they have some degree of possibility, higher will and trust their judgment to keep everybody safe.

David Owen:

I can imagine time was very tight back then.

David Owen:

And another instance, I remember a snowstorm where they had forecast, oh, we're going to have some flurries in the afternoon.

David Owen:

Nice, delightful flurries.

David Owen:

And before, I think it was by 11 o'clock, traffic around our office was just jam packed and people were, you know, didn't get home for a day or two.

David Owen:

I don't know that you can plan for every little detail like that, but do you guys try to scope out those kind of exceptions and figure out, okay, well what should we do?

David Owen:

Right?

Matt Sanders:

And I think depending on what it is, is a major factor.

Matt Sanders:

You know, it's a flood, okay, we can still drive, we can still get around, you know, get the kids on the buses and we can go somewhere.

Matt Sanders:

But the storm you're talking about is like, well, you got everybody on the bus, the bus is running, they're warm, but the bus is not going anywhere, you know, because everybody was stuck in traffic.

Matt Sanders:

So it's a certain amount of, you know, best plans you have sometimes don't work out the way you think they should and you just have to punt and get everybody where they need to be and as quickly as you can and safely.

David Owen:

Immediate life safety thing at that point.

David Owen:

I can imagine if you're a bus driver and you see a tornado ahead, you're not going to go, well, kids, hold on tight, you're going to have some direction to the kids.

David Owen:

We're pulling over.

David Owen:

Everybody go over here where there's some shelter or what have you, right?

Matt Sanders:

In that situation, tornadoes.

Matt Sanders:

We have locations identified on every route.

Matt Sanders:

Maybe a fire station, another school, churches.

Matt Sanders:

So that, oh, it's a bad storm, it's a fire station.

David Owen:

So you've got like points of refuge for along each route.

David Owen:

Yes, that is incredibly forward looking.

David Owen:

That's amazing.

David Owen:

You know, we've got some of the best people on the planet running this place and these are a couple of them.

David Owen:

So what else can you do in the circumstance of the unknown.

David Owen:

You can't plan for every little thing.

David Owen:

Sounds like you've thought through a lot of them.

David Owen:

But what else could possibly be done?

David Owen:

In the case of maintenance, you don't know what's going to fail and what's going to do?

Jason Wheeler:

Well, no, you just got to have people spread out across the county, which we do work in their normal routes day in and day out with 166 people in maintenance.

Jason Wheeler:

You know, there's somebody at every school just about every day, all the time.

Jason Wheeler:

So in the event of something like that, whether it's your trade or not, you're there to help do whatever you can to resolve any issue that pops up.

Jason Wheeler:

So, you know, we've got a lot of professional guys that are certain trades that they work in, whether it's H vac or plumbing or electrical.

Jason Wheeler:

But in the event of an emergency or something that pops up like that, if it's not their trade specific job, they're still helping.

Jason Wheeler:

Anything they can do for the schools.

David Owen:

If nothing else, they can run materials to you.

Jason Wheeler:

That's exactly right.

Jason Wheeler:

So it's just all hands on deck in those situations.

David Owen:

Yeah.

David Owen:

What about you guys?

David Owen:

I mean, that's on the cold days and the afternoons, let's say, and the buses normally are parked.

David Owen:

You just what, just keep things going?

Matt Sanders:

Yeah, we don't have a whole lot of choice.

Matt Sanders:

We have to keep going until we get the students home.

Matt Sanders:

Our bus drivers are extremely dedicated.

Matt Sanders:

They will work as late as they have to, you know.

David Owen:

You know, I'm glad you said that because I remember that big snowfall event, hearing about bus drivers doing that very thing.

David Owen:

And cafeteria people too.

David Owen:

You know, they would be able to perhaps get the kids back to their school.

David Owen:

Cafeteria people would stay and you know, fix pizzas for everybody to make sure the kids had something to eat.

David Owen:

So we've got good folks.

Matt Sanders:

Good folks.

David Owen:

I think that's probably where we, where it all starts, really.

David Owen:

So what would you say?

David Owen:

I'm thinking about the parents who might be watching or listening.

David Owen:

What would you say to parents who get extremely nervous about their child going to school on a, a snow day or, you know, the, the winds are whipping up and it looks stormy and you know, you know, they're coming home on the afternoon bus.

David Owen:

What, what would you tell them that would, would help them understand that their child is well taken care of?

Matt Sanders:

We have a plan that works with, without a doubt, if a student gets on our bus, we're going to do everything we can to ensure their safety above all else.

David Owen:

Okay.

David Owen:

Safety is Number one in transportation.

David Owen:

What about maintenance, you guys?

Jason Wheeler:

I would say that safety is number one, district wide, any department.

Jason Wheeler:

I think Cobb County School district's number one priority is student safety overall.

Jason Wheeler:

And then outside of that, we've got one of the best communication departments there is.

Jason Wheeler:

They keep the students and staff and parents and public informed of everything that's going on at all times, no matter what kind of event we're having.

Jason Wheeler:

So I would just say that, you know, a lot of us are parents, too, and we're going to take care of your kids just like they were ours.

David Owen:

And in the event of transportation, you guys also have an app, right?

Matt Sanders:

Yes.

Matt Sanders:

Here comes the bus.

Matt Sanders:

And anytime a bus is running late, we.

Matt Sanders:

We send out that notification.

Matt Sanders:

Bus:

Matt Sanders:

So that parents will know or the student themselves.

Matt Sanders:

Students can download the app and use it.

David Owen:

Okay.

Matt Sanders:

And be aware that, okay, my bus isn't here, but it's coming 15, 20 minutes late today.

David Owen:

And that's important to know.

David Owen:

If it's one of those really cold mornings, we're still going to school.

David Owen:

Should the kid be waiting at the bus stop for an hour?

David Owen:

Probably not.

David Owen:

If it's that cold.

David Owen:

Of course, they need to be dressed warmly to begin with, but standing outside for an hour is not good.

David Owen:

But if you got that app, you can see, oh, it's delayed by a half hour.

David Owen:

So I'll wait a little extra time before actually sending my child.

Matt Sanders:

Correct.

Matt Sanders:

And the app, actually, in addition to getting a notification, written notification, you can actually see your bus on the map and know when it's approaching.

David Owen:

So you know it's.

David Owen:

It's just around the corner.

Jason Wheeler:

Right.

David Owen:

But don't wait until you see it there.

Matt Sanders:

Correct.

David Owen:

Because then you're going to be hoofing it and it's actually delayed a little bit.

David Owen:

Probably.

David Owen:

I won't ask you to comment.

David Owen:

That gets into a security thing.

Matt Sanders:

That's technology thing.

David Owen:

Oh, it's his fault.

Matt Sanders:

Stuff is delayed.

David Owen:

All right.

David Owen:

I'm sure that having all of the resources necessary to stay informed directly by COP schools is important.

David Owen:

Even better when you've got it direct from the department.

David Owen:

And staying away from the rumor mill probably would serve them well.

David Owen:

Thanks again.

David Owen:

I appreciate you letting us know these things.

David Owen:

If you learned something new from this episode, please give us a like subscribe and share it with a friend.

David Owen:

Thank you for listening to this edition of the Inside Scoop, a podcast produced by the Cobb County School.

All Episodes Previous Episode

About the Podcast

Show artwork for The Inside Scoop
The Inside Scoop
Everything You Need to Know for Your Student to Succeed in the Cobb County School District

Listen for free

About your host

Profile picture for David Owen

David Owen