Decision To Close For Cold Weather Up To Each Oklahoma District

Dozens of Green Country school districts closed Tuesday because of the extreme cold weather. Tulsa Public Schools was one of those districts, but others, like Broken Arrow and Jenks, are both in session.

Several of the big districts we checked with in our area said the decision to close is made on a district-by-district basis.

Tulsa Public Schools said they made the decision based on student safety and wanting to keep kids safe as they go to and from school.

Some districts like Owasso and Union didn't have class Tuesday for professional development days.

Broken Arrow students will be in class and the district said schools will open earlier than normal so kids can get inside where it's warm.

Jenks is also in session and said they haven't closed because of the cold in several years.

"There really isn't a designated cut-off temperature. The only one that we have firmly in place is that if it's 32-degrees or below we'll keep kids indoors for recess, and they're not going to be outside for a lengthy period of time exposed to those chilly temperatures," said Rob Loeber with Jenks Public Schools.

A Jenks grandparent said he wasn't happy about the school being open.

"You know what - what are you trying to prove? That - hey - we're tough, we're big.  Hey - guess what - shut these schools down for a day or two until it warms back up.  You know, it's supposed to be colder tomorrow," Ron Engles said.

Cleveland and Morris Public Schools have both canceled due to flu.

You can find a full list of school closures here.