BELLE — Area school districts dismissed early on Dec. 1 as the season’s first snowfall began, with road conditions quickly turning hazardous. An estimated two to five inches were expected to accumulate, beginning around 10 a.m.on Monday morning, immediately covering roads and limiting visibility.

Following freezing conditions overnight into Tuesday morning, Maries County R-2 dismissed around 5 a.m., inadvertently extending the Thanksgiving Break to seven days. Superintendent Dr. Lenice Basham said the district considered many factors before calling classes on Tuesday.

“We always want to error on the side of safety,” she said. “Parents need to check out the snow routes to be prepared for if we need to use them. They were emailed to parents this morning through Lumen, are on the website under transportation, and on Facebook.

“I felt like this morning we hadn’t given our parents enough time to review those if we hadn’t talked about snow routes. It was a factor in this morning’s decision.”

The district covers 231.7 miles over mostly rural areas, with an abundance of state routes and gravel county roads. Before canceling classes, Basham said they drive the roads to determine conditions.

“We drive all over,” she said. “I don’t really have a (specific) road for that. If someone drives around in Bland and Belle, we drive random roads.

“It also depends on whether the snow was heavier toward I-44, Highway 50 or Highway 63. That makes a difference where we drive.”

If the district utilizes snow routes, the announcement will be made on its social media outlets and other notifications.

“If we use snow routes in the morning, the normal procedure is to use snow routes in the afternoon unless regular routes are safe to transport students home. We would announce regular routes if that is the case,” Officials said in the Tuesday morning notification sent out to parents. “If you have a question about your snow route, please reach out to your route driver.”

Snow Routes include the following:

Bus No. 1, Cunningham: 6:50 a.m. at Highway A and Lahmeyer Road; 7 a.m. at Highway A and Rehmert Road.

Bland Routes are:

Bus No. 26, Jones: 6:28 a.m. at Old High Gate Store and Highway H; 6:29 p.m. at Highway U and MCR 424 junction; 6:30 a.m. at Hway H and MCR 422; 6:34 a.m. at Highway H and MCR 423; 6:35 a.m. at Highway H and Highway C junction; 6:40 a.m. at Highway C and Peterson Road; 6:42 a.m. at Highway C and MCR 408; 6:44 a.m. at Highway C and MCR 409; 6:45 a.m. at Highway C and MCR 424; 6:54 a.m. at Highway 28, MCR 313 and MCR 414 junction; 7:05 a.m. at Highway EE and Seventh Street; 7:07 a.m. at Highway EE and MCR 459;

7:09 a.m. at Highway EE and MCR 411; 7:12 a.m. at Highway EE and MCR 409; 7:12 a.m. at Barcliff Drive.

Bus No. 24, Bradley: 6:40 a.m. at Highway B and Redbird Road; 6:45 a.m. at Highway B and Republican Road; 6:55 p.m. at Crossroads Church 6:55 a.m.; 7 p.m. at Highway B and Highway CC; 7:10 a.m. at Tall Oaks (at tennis court).

Bland Students:

Bus No. 10 6:30 a.m. at Highway 89 and Osage Co. Road 711: 6:35 a.m. Highway 89 and Osage Co. Road 721; 6:40 a.m. at Highway 89 and Osage Co. Road 715; 6:45 a.m. at Highway M and Road 716: 6:50 a.m. at Highway M and Road 305; 7 a.m. at Highway M and Parkview.

Belle High School 7:20 a.m., then to Bland

Bus No. 15: at 6:45 a.m. at Highway 42 and CR 318;

6:47 a.m. at Highway 42 and CR 319; 6:43 a.m. at Highway 42 and CR 317; 6:55 a.m. at Highway 42 and CR 310.

Then to Town Route:

Bus No. 18,  Wommel: Vichy Wye 6:10 – 6:15 a.m. at the Vichy Wye; 6:25 a.m. at Ridenhour Subdivision off Highway 63; 6:27 a.m. at Children in Vichy on Highway 63; 6:35 a.m. at the turn on Highway 68; 6:40 a.m. at Highways 63 and 28; 6:42 a.m. at Highway 28 and Co Rd 321, then to the Bland Middle School.

Bus No. 20, Mitchell: Highway 89 to D; 6:15 a.m. at Highway D and CR 706; 6:20 a.m. at Highway D and CR 725; 6:30 a.m. at Highway D and CR 701 turnaround; 6:45 a.m. at 89 and Highway Y; 6:50 a.m. at Highway Y to CR 722; 7 a.m. at Highway Y to CR 726; 7 p.m. turnaround;7:10 a.m. at Highway 7 to Highway 89.

Then to Belle Town Route:

Bus No. 25, McDaniel: 6:55 a.m. at First Street; 7 a.m. at Mid-State Pipeline and CR 738; 7 a.m. at Highway 28 and CR 753 and 739; 7:05 at Highway 28 and CR 751; 7:07 a.m. at Highway 28 and CR 754; 7:12 a.m. at Highway 28 and Highway NN; 7:12 a.m. at Highway NN and CR 735;

7:14 a.m. at Highway NN and CR 726; 7:20 a.m. back to Highway 28; 7:20 a.m. to Bland Middle School.

The first expected snowfall on Nov. 29 led to little accumulation, but Missouri weather made up for the false call in the Maries County region with the winter weather flash. District officials used the early inclement weather as an opportunity to share resources with families about where to look for school closures.

“As we prepare for the winter season, we want to ensure you are informed and prepared for any weather-related early dismissal or school closures,” Officials posted on various school platforms. “In the event of inclement weather, we will prioritize student and staff safety, and sometimes this may require school to dismiss early or close for the day.”

Methods of communication includes:

• Parent Portal sends messages via email, text, phone call

• School Status Connect for Belle Elementary School parents

• District Website at www.mariesr2.org sends messages via email, text and app notification

• Social media channels such as the Maries R-2 Schools Facebook page and Instagram account

• Local news stations such as Channel 8 (NBC); Channel 17 (ABC); Channel 13 (CBS); Fox2; and KMOV4

• Local radio stations such as KCLR, Y107, KCMQ, 107.9 and KZNN

The district also reserves the ability to declare an inclement weather day as an Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) day.

“We have up to four Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) days.” Officials posted. “This option is provided by the state for schools to use during short-term closures such as snow days.”

Parents are also advised to update contact information to ensure they are receiving text messages and emails.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol posted a break down of calls for service late on Monday evening.

Troops A through I totaled 817 calls for service, of which 214 were stranded motorists, 358 were crashes, 41 were injuries and one fatality.