Superintendent Randy Weseman announced this afternoon that classes will be canceled again on Friday for Lawrence schools.

The reason – there’s still ice on parking lots and sidewalks. And there’s a probability of a heavy snowfall tonight, Weseman said.

“We’ve been working on the sidewalks and parking lots all day. We can’t get them to a point where we’re comfortable having school tomorrow. Particularly, with the forecast. The forecast is saying that the potential exists for more significant snowfall,” Weseman said. “We can remove snow. But when there’s ice under it, it gets a little more precarious.”

Weseman announced the decision about 3:20 p.m., shortly after he had a meeting with the district’s administrators who handle bus transportation, facilities and operations and safety.

He said safety around the schools was the main reason for Friday’s cancellation.

“Actually we had a custodian slip and fall today and they’re out there working on them,” Weseman said. “That’s the real hazard, to me, is the conditions around the schools and in the parking lots. We’ll have fender-benders and people falling down. And I don’t want to subject our kids or employees to that.”

He said Lawrence is right on the edge of the forecast area for the major snowfall, most of which is expected to the east and south of the Lawrence area.

“I would imagine we’ll get some (snow) tonight,” he said. “Whether we do or not, it’s too cold so we can’t get the ice cleaned up. . . . There’s no point now in delaying any kind of decision.”