Minneapolis, St. Paul school bus delays: Students stranded on snowy roads after 9:30 p.m.

School buses for Minneapolis Public School and St. Paul Public Schools were facing serious delays in Monday's snowstorm, and some students were still on their routes on not yet home at 9:30 p.m. Monday night.

Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools did not dismiss classes early or cancel school for the snowstorm that impacted the metro area Monday afternoon. Monday's winter storm was the largest snowfall in the Twin Cities since 2011, but the storm had an incredibly tight snow gradient, with cities like Rogers getting just 2.5 inches and Prior Lake getting 16.5.

HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS IMPACTED IN ST. PAUL

According a St. Paul Public Schools spokeswoman, some buses transporting students who were dismissed at 4 p.m. were still be in transit as of 9:30 p.m. The transportation issues impacted "hundreds" of students. There are also a "handful" of school sites where students haven't been picked up yet.

"If your child's bus has not yet arrived at the school, please know they are inside and safe with staff and snacks have been provided," said a notice on the school district's website.

Classes and activities for Minneapolis Public School and St. Paul Public Schools have been canceled for Tuesday. See a full list of active school closings at fox9.com/closings.

ST. PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS STATEMENT

"Saint Paul Public Schools takes many factors into consideration when deciding whether to keep schools open or cancel classes. 
 
"The decision to keep the District open today (Jan. 22) was based on the forecast and what we believed was the best course of action for our students. 
 
"Had we known that the City of Saint Paul was going to get up to 8 inches of snow between 2 and 6 p.m. SPPS may have taken a different course of action.
 
"Saint Paul Public Schools offers its sincerest apologies to the students, staff and the families who were impacted by buses that were delayed by many hours. 
 
"We know that it was both a concern and a hardship for those whose children arrived home several hours after the school day had ended. We are immensely thankful for the staff that remained at the schools to care for our students well into the evening hours.
 
"The safety of our students and staff is always a top priority and today is no different. Due to the circumstances of today and the knowledge that the road conditions will not be better by tomorrow morning Saint Paul Public Schools is canceling school and all school-related activities on Tuesday, Jan. 23. 

"This cancellation includes the Board of Education meeting that was scheduled to begin at 6:05 p.m."

MINNEAPOLIS TRANSIT CABS DELAYED

Tuesday morning, a Minneapolis Public Schools spokesperson said all students were home by 9:30 p.m. Monday. Minneapolis had delays on bus routes, but the major delays were with the transportation cabs the district uses for homeless and highly mobile students – those routes aren’t set and they travel longer distances across the city.

MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS STATEMENT

"What an incredibly hard day this was for Twin Cities schools. We are so very sorry for the difficulties our students, families and staff encountered in getting home, getting their cars unstuck, and generally navigating our slippery, snowy, windy city today. We know people felt frustration at their transportation delays and at the decisions or timing of decisions made around canceling or not canceling schools.

"We hope you know that our students’ and staff’s safety is and always will be our first concern on days like these. We apologize when it didn’t feel that way and we look forward to getting a fresh start on the week on Wednesday."