After being caught off guard by a winter storm that forced officials to make prompt decisions, Wright City R-II Superintendent David Buck says he was pleased with how staff handled it.A light mist began to fall around noon, shortly after the district received word of an advisory.“It was an interesting day that caught everybody by surprise,” said Buck. “We had been watching the radar, but it wasn’t tracking toward us.”Administrators began working toward a possible early release to beat the imposing weather, but the time frame was too small.“We called bus drivers immediately, but by the time they were ready, there was already ice on the roads,” he said. “At that time, we decided to let the salt do the work for a while. By the time we let out, the city streets were in better condition.”Bus drivers still contended with icy conditions on outer roads, forcing four different buses to return students to campus after being unable to reach their drop-off points.Buck says around 30 students were housed at Wright City East and West Elementary schools until someone could pick them up.“We went and bought pizza and fed them cereal, drinks,” said Buck. “We showed movies in the library and tried to take their minds off the mess that was going on outside.”Several of the students had to wait hours for parents to arrive, as they were stuck in traffic themselves. By 7:30 p.m. only two students remained, those finally getting to go home around 10 p.m.“I felt like we were fortunate to get all but two students home by 7:30 and to get everyone home safely,” said Buck, who says he felt the district made the right decisions under pressure.“Kudos to our many staff who volunteered to stay and help kids feel safe and happy,” he said.The only changes the district says it would make going forward in this type of situation is in the area of communication.“We only have two phone lines at the bus garage, so it was taking some people a long time to get through,” said Buck. “We could probably use more manpower when it comes to calling.”The district utilized its email blast system to inform families as thoroughly as possible, with Buck encouraging all parents to sign up for the feature. R-II Wright City School District