LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln school superintendent has changed his approach to giving students a day off because of bad weather.

Steve Joel told staffers and parents when he started his Lincoln job in 2010 that he wouldn’t call a snow day based solely on forecasts. But that’s what he did for Wednesday, because weather experts warned Tuesday of dangerously low wind chills ahead.

Joel says he’s realized that a surprising number of students walk to school. And given that more than 40 percent of them come from poor families, they may not have the right clothing to handle wind chills that can cause frostbite on uncovered skin within a few minutes.

Joel also says he thinks meteorologists and their equipment have become more accurate.