Low visibility caused Valley schools to see many absences

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It was the first foggy day schedule of the season for some areas of Fresno County Thursday morning. Those schedules meant school would start later with buses delayed or even canceled--depending on the visibility of that area.

Caruthers Unified School District called off all bus transportation Thursday, saying the fog did not lift in time to run them safely.

"For a district like ours we bus a high percentage of our students in so that means a high percentage of our student body is not here to attend school," said Orin Hirschkorn.

Phones kept busy for the Washington Unified School District in Easton after they moved from plan A to plan B to eventually plan C. Plan C for them means school starts after 11 a.m., and morning bus transportation is canceled.

School officials say people who work for their transportation company live in different parts of the area and work together to determine whether their routes will be safe to take students to school.

"Plan A means buses will be on a two-hour delay so typically if school starts at 8 a.m. it will start at 10 a.m., plan B is a three-hour delay, plan C actually means all morning buses are canceled," Principal Heather Gomez.

No buses may mean fewer students, but the schools want them to know safety is their first priority.

"First and foremost is always safety, so we just ask for everybody please take your time. Get here safe if you don't feel it's safe to drive, don't hustle and bustle to get your children here. We are ready to serve as soon as they get here," said Gomez.