How is School Called Off for Weather?

I was wondering how the determination is made about if school is out for snow or bad weather? My road was clear much earlier than they went back to school and I was a little shocked that school was still out. We moved here from New York and school is rarely out there even if it snows.

The hills and valleys of Jefferson County often make it difficult for snow to melt and conditions are dangerous. The decision to close school is made by the Department of Education, most specifically the transportation supervision in conjunction with the Director of Schools. Actually, they drive the roads to assure that they are safe for students and buses. In rural counties, it is difficult for many students to get to school if it snows and though the road crews do a great job of clearing the roads, sometimes it is just determined to be to dangerous for buses and students.