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County roads still slick leading to another day off of school

Morgan County has a lot of different types of roads--some curvy, some at high elevations and some that ice over easily. Superintendent Ronnie Wilson has to monitor them all.

At higher elevations, snow and ice affects Morgan County more than other East Tennessee counties.

"Our side roads, our secondary roads, that's going to be our main element," Morgan County Schools Superintendent Ronnie Wilson said.

The nearly 3,000 students in Morgan County Schools travel a lot of miles each day.

"We check the roads religiously," Wilson said.

MORE: Many school districts closed again on Thursday, including Knox County

Wilson travels a few himself to find out if it's safe, especially with how the weather has been lately around East Tennessee.

"Sometimes we can be out driving a road and make some notes," Wilson said.

School's been out all week, first for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and then because the snow and ice have made it hard for buses to get around.

MORE: To close or not to close? How East Tennessee school districts decide

"Mainly those school buses, we don't want a bus on its side," Wilson said.

Wilson is licensed to drive a school bus, so he's lived it.

"If you start one of those big boys sliding, it's hard to stop," Wilson said.

Morgan County Schools Superintendent Ronnie Wilson is constantly monitoring road conditions, and drives around the county to check them out himself before he cancels school.

That's why he knows the combination of the roads in Morgan County and the weather can be dangerous.

We asked him about the main roads.

"Highway 62 is dry, safe to travel on, (Highway) 27 is safe, and that's our two main roads," Wilson said.

And we asked him about the neighborhood roads.

"As cold as it's been, sometimes if you put chemicals down, you're turning snow into ice," Wilson said.

We rode along with Wilson as he took a look around the county--and the temperatures are just too low around smaller roads at high elevations.

"Just that little bit of elevation gain, you can have green grass on the eastern part of it, and when you get through that little set of curves, there will be two inches of snow," Wilson said.

He's aiming to keep students safe, no matter where they live.

"We've got some slick roads in certain parts of the county, and we have to cancel because of that," Wilson said.

Wilson said the district has set aside 13 weather days, and have used 6 already. He hopes to be back in school on Friday, but said it may even be next week.

The good news is we're working our way toward a warm up. Temperatures will be in the 40s on Friday, and into the 50s over the weekend.

And that means no more ice, even on the back roads.

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