When it snows, Rick Doll is the guy who determines whether 11,000 kids and 1,600 teachers and other licensed personnel need to show up for school.

He doesn’t leave much to chance.

“From 4 till about 4:45 or 5, I drive the streets,” said Doll, superintendent of Lawrence public schools. “I don’t like to call it off unless I have personal, firsthand knowledge.”

He gets plenty of advice. Officials from the district and its transportation contractor, First Student, also drive the district’s most troublesome routes, reporting signs of difficult passage.

In the end, it is Doll who determines whether kids can get safely to and from school. Snow and ice — not subfreezing temperatures and blustery wind — are the dominant conditions that figure into his decision, he said.

“Cold is a factor, but only as it relates to whether it’s combined with moisture,” Doll said.

He knows his decisions can trigger parental fury.

“For working parents who don’t have child care, it’s a tremendous burden on our families when we call off school,” Doll said. “You have to keep that in mind. That’s one way to keep it reasonable.

“It’s one of the most difficult decisions I make all year.”

But sometimes there’s no doubt that school will be canceled. On Monday night, as snow continued to fall, along with the temperatures, it was announced that Lawrence students would get another day off today.