Brown County is unable to open schools due to snow on rural, dirt roads

Brown County, Indiana – After a foot of snow fell on the county on Sunday night and into Monday, students at Brown County Schools had yet to return to class.

In the fall, Brown County’s undulating hills and stunning forests provide a breathtaking sight, but in the winter, the same terrain may be quite dangerous due to snow and ice.

“It’s shaded and hilly,” Brown County Highway Department superintendent Arec Burton remarked. “There is just room for disaster when you combine the lack of sun on them with our curves and drop-offs.”

Since Sunday, Burton has been working nonstop alongside a group of over a dozen snow plow drivers.

Although the main paved roads in Nashville and the county center are clear and clean, Burton claimed that the gravel roads are the ones that require more time.

“The snow plow truck can run over the gravel, but you can’t scrape the ice off of it,” Burton explained. “So, where people have driven, there is a really thick layer packed.”

Others have been stuck waiting for Burton and his team to arrive, while some neighbors have been able to drive in and out of their gravel roads.

Burton stated, “They call in, and they are unable to leave.” They are unable to reach the doctor or the business. We’ve been making an effort to handle the crises, but we simply can’t reach everyone at once.

Another county truck must follow behind with fresh gravel after they plow the snow on gravel roads to ensure that vehicles will have traction.

“Gravel roads can typically be plowed fairly quickly,” he stated. “The challenge is getting stone back on them.”

School buses have been unable to pick up pupils all week because the gravel roads are still coated in snow and ice.

“It’s just not safe to be able to drive a bus with 72 passengers up and down those hills and still be able to pass an oncoming car,” stated Emily Tracy, the superintendent of Brown County Schools.
Due to the necessity of keeping children at home, Tracy and her team have chosen to combine snow days with E-Learning days.

“We would love nothing more than to be in session starting semester two, but these are missed days, and we will make up for them,” Tracy stated. However, it simply isn’t worth it. Our top focus is ensuring the safety of our staff, students, and families.

According to Tracy, administrators from Brown County Schools have gone out to assess the roads directly to see if classes can resume.

“Yesterday, one of our team members got stuck in his heavy-duty truck,” Tracy stated. Due to a foot of snow on Sunday, pupils at Brown Co. School have still not returned. The 200 miles of dirt roads take a lot longer, but the main streets are clear. These are a few of the worst places where buses are unable to disembark.

The Brown County Transportation Department has done an excellent job of cleaning the roads, Tracy said, despite the delay in getting the children back to school.

“They have done a fantastic job this round, and I think it’s pretty clear with the entire county,” she stated.

A foot of snow is too much for Brown County to handle, both Tracy and Burton concur.

“It’s okay if you gain a few inches,” Burton stated. “It’s a mess after a foot of snow.” Tracy expressed her pessimism about in-person school in Brown County on Friday as of Thursday afternoon. Though further snow is expected this weekend, which could further postpone the clearing of crucial roadways, they remain optimistic for next week.