Several school districts changed their weather delays to cancellations unusually late yesterday morning, causing parents to scramble to make alternate arrangements for their children.

It wasn't until 8 a.m. that some districts changed their two-hour delays, announced earlier, to a complete shutdown. Some parents who had left for work didn't discover the change until they got to their jobs.

Adding to the disorder, some private schools in the city that normally follow the decision of the Pittsburgh district went ahead with classes on a two-hour delay.

"It's been complete chaos trying to figure this out," said Karen Lightman, of Point Breeze, yesterday. Her 5-year-old daughter attends Linden Academy, a Pittsburgh public school, and Mrs. Lightman struggled to make arrangements before she went to work.

"I have had to beg borrow and steal favors from everyone to try to get into work for three hours today," she said.

By 8 a.m., the Pittsburgh area had accumulated 2 inches of snow from overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Guy Costa, head of the city's Department of Public Works, said that while the city's main streets were generally clear, the secondary roads were still snow-covered when the city school district decided to cancel classes at 8 a.m.

The district initially announced a two-hour delay after consulting with Mr. Costa's office at about 5:30 a.m., but Mr. Costa said the side streets were still slick two-and-a-half hours later.

He said his crews had been out salting since 12:30 a.m. until the snow stopped at about 9:30 a.m., but they couldn't keep up with the accumulation to clear the secondary streets well enough.

"It was slick out there," he said.

Mr. Costa defended the district's decision, saying it's difficult for school buses to negotiate the secondary roads without chains.

"You can always second-guess, but you have to look out for the best interest of the children," he said. "It only takes one accident and then everyone says, 'Oh, why didn't they close?'"

Some parents weren't so sure.

"It throws your whole scheduling off for the day," said Theresa Smith, of Westwood, whose son attends Langley High School. "More than anything, the timing was just so late. I think they should have just gone through and had school."

Many other public school districts also cancelled at the last minute.

Joy Ed, spokeswoman for North Allegheny School District, said by the time officials closed school, it was 8:05 a.m. before she could update the district's We site. The first bus run for high school students during delays is at 8:15 a.m.

"It was very clear that back roads and roads in housing plans were not in good shape, and in most cases, hadn't been touched," she said. "That becomes a serious issue for student safety."

Officials from Quaker Valley, Seneca Valley and Shaler Area all pointed to similar road conditions as the reason for late cancellations.

Not every school canceled classes yesterday. Several school districts remained on a two-hour delay, and two Washington County districts -- Peters Township and Washington -- put in a full day.

The pre-school at Rodef Shalom in Oakland also put in a full day yesterday, even though it typically follows suit when Pittsburgh Public Schools cancel.

"It seemed really ridiculous to reverse our decision when the condition didn't seem at all prohibitive," said pre-school director Mimsie Leyton.

PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi said the storm "seemed like a normal snowstorm to me," with most of the roads slushy or wet by rush hour and some secondary roads still snowy.

"It was nothing out of the ordinary," he said.

Though state law requires 180 days of instruction, there is no standard way for making up snow days.

Most school districts have a calendar which notes that certain scheduled days off could become school days if needed to make up snow days. A sampling of district officials said they will not have to add to the end of the year unless weather causes more cancellations.

Ebony Pugh, spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Public Schools, said the district still has to make up three of the five snow days they have had this winter, and the school board will settle on the calendar by the end of the month.

Lisa Fischetti, chief of staff for Pittsburgh Public Schools, said taking days away from the April 5-9 spring break is a "last option."