Dr. Joe McCann is probably enjoying the weather today. Snow and ice cause a lot less stress for a school superintendent after he retires.

But for the current Rowan-Salisbury superintendent, Dr. Wiley Doby, it may be a different story. Doby didn’t call school off this morning, despite falling sleet and snow, and buses slipped and slid their way to school. That’s not something parents in Rowan County are accustomed to seeing — or tolerating.

Superintendents face a lose-lose situation when it comes to these weather calls. McCann caught flak for being Mr. Caution and keeping schools closed too often and long because of icy roads. But every superintendent knows all it takes is one bus accident and —heaven forbid —one dead child to make the importance of holding classes fade in significance.

This is just Doby’s first call. If it’s indicative of his philosophy, he may consider a little bad weather worth pushing through in order to maintain academic continuity. He’ll have to educate the public about bus drivers’ training and the general safety of school buses to pull that off.

This system has operated for several years under a policy of extreme caution. As much as people say they want change in the school system, this might be one area where they’d like things to remain the same.