OXFORD – It’s 3 a.m. and SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman is on the phone with meteorologist Russ Murley. A snowstorm is on the way.

“We actually start with a weather check the afternoon before with the National Weather (Service) and a meteorologist that we consult with,” explained Eastman of the process he and the school staff undergo when a snowstorm approaches. The information Eastman needs from the meteorologist are the type of conditions, expected extent of the storm, its size, duration and timing.

“Safety of children and staff is at the heart of the decision,” said Eastman, who is ultimately solely responsible for whether school will open or close.

Monday’s snowstorm put into effect the district’s snow emergency plan for the first time this year. With a district that has more than 3,200 students, hundreds of staff and geographically stretches south from Harrison and Otisfield, north to West Paris, it must be a precisely planned procedure.

Eastman, who spent his morning at the superintendent’s office fielding switchboard calls for a while until other personnel could get into the office, said that in a typical snowstorm Glen Sirois, the schools’ transportation director, is called after he evaluates the meteorological information.

“Glen also contacts town road commissioners if necessary and our own dispatch, which is usually available at 4 a.m.,” the superintendent said.

Between 4 and 5 a.m., a decision is made as to whether school will be open or closed. At 5 a.m. notification protocols begin with Web postings, notice of the school closing to broadcast media and the staff “calling tree,” in which one staff member calls another down the list.

“Today was a relatively easy call compared to those (storms) that do not start until 8 a.m. or those that do not develop as expected,” he said. The most difficult decisions, due to district size, are when weather conditions vary. For example, he said, Oxford might have rain while West Paris has heavy snow.

“Remember, meteorology is improving through advancing technologies, but it is not precise,” he said.