Thousands sign petition asking local schools to make weather closing decisions earlier

RACINE (CBS 58) -- More than 3,000 people have signed a petition asking Racine and Kenosha Unified School Districts to call weather-related closures by 9:00 p.m. the night before. 

Racine Unified is one of many school districts that are closed tomorrow with extremely cold temperatures in the forecast. 

On Tuesday, parents were notified in advance and some want this to be the standard. 

“The sooner we know the better it is," said Carlos Castro, parent.

Castro says he gets an email notifying him when school is closed and doesn't have a problem with how it's done. 

But thousands would like to know the night before students have to go to school. 

The petition says they get notified "sometimes as late as 7 a.m. (the day of school.)"

“If they notified us a day before it would be better than a couple hours before opens," said Castro. 

But the weather can be unpredictable. Racine Unified says it monitors the roads and is in constant communication with the National Weather Service before they make their final decision.

In a statement, the district said, in part,“...the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. This week's weather is going to be extremely challenging and we'll work hard to inform families about any closing decisions as early as possible.”

So far, RUSD has canceled class twice on Friday and Monday. They anticipate that number will go up in the coming days. 

The petition says it needs at least 2,500 signatures before they bring it to RUSD and KUSD.