Many of our news reports at 11 Connects are inspired by viewers.
Last week, "Frank" from Carter County Tenn. noticed the score of the Cloudland - Johnson County basketball game on our February 2nd news broadcast. He also noticed Carter County Schools had closed due to inclement weather that day.
In an e-mail to 11 Connects Frank expressed concern -- that area schools were putting too much stock in athletics, and too little in student safety.
"First of all, we take into consideration the safety of all of our students," Cloudland High Principal Randy Birchfield said. "That's the most important thing."
High school basketball teams operate on a tight schedule. The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association district tournament starts on February 19th.
"So, all of the district games have to be finished before Wednesday the 17th, so [the TSSAA] can make the seedings to begin the tournament," Birchfield said.
The coaches in Cloudland's conference plan for cancellations, but this has been a particularly tough winter, Birchfield said.
"They built in a time period there that they can make up games," he said. "But, with the weather like we've had, that time period fills up rapidly."
Carter County Maintenance Supervisor Kevin Ward said school officials take the condition of side roads into consideration when weighing school closures. But, if main roads are clear, basketball games usually get the green light.
"We're speaking with the other school, their athletic director and their principal, because the majority of the time we're on the roads, we're on the main roads," Birchfield said.
Avery County Schools operate a few miles down the road. They also cancel basketball games on a case-by-case basis.
"If we didn't do that, we wouldn't end up getting in all of our games," Spokeswoman Martha Davis said.
Davis said Avery County Schools tried the "no school, no game" policy three or four years ago.
"It didn't work," she said.
Click the play icon above to watch a video version of this report.
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