School closures in mountain communities amid weather conditions

MARIPOSA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Several schools in the Central California mountain communities remain closed Thursday due to winter weather.

Several mountain school districts say they want to keep kids home to avoid buses and parents driving in potentially dangerous conditions.

In Mariposa, Thursday was a snow day for students without the snow.

"It snowed a little bit last night, and it was actually really fun, and it's already cleared," said Su Carney, owner of Yosemite Gifts.

However, in higher elevations, such as up near El Portal Elementary and Yosemite High School, the snow lingered.

Wednesday night, the decision was made to put schools on a two-hour delay.

By Thursday morning, school was canceled.

Although 140 was clear, the Mariposa County Unified Superintendent said not everyone in the school community lives off a road that has been cleared, and his top concern is everyone's safety.

In a statement, he said in part quote,

"This determination was reached after careful deliberation, considering the forecasts and the potential risks posed by the adverse weather conditions."

The school closure and some shutdown shops led to fewer regulars at the Pizza Factory.

"Definitely a lot less businesses because a lot of the nine to fives are closed down and then students as well. So they get off campus, they all come in for lunch, and so we didn't get those today, but we are getting a lot of people going to Yosemite, so that's really special, a lot of families from out of town," said Carie Jones with Pizza Factory.

A block over at Yosemite Gifts, Carney says it's been slow for more than a week, and she thinks the forecast is keeping people away.

She'd love to see more visits and enjoy what the county has to offer.

"To come up and enjoy our awesome area. Everybody is really friendly, we have really unique shops, and a lot of really good dining here and a lot of outdoor activity, and it's just absolutely beautiful," said Carney.

Many of the local businesses downtown are still open, and Mariposa Unified Schools and Yosemite Unified Schools are expected to be open again Friday.

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