School Systems on delay due to cold temps...Thoughts?

flyingfoxes

We've been dealing with the delayed start thing here too.  FSD was mad because her school didn't cancel yesterday, but not all schools did.  It's odd, because the temperature actually dropped from the time they normally would go to the delayed time.  FI's got an insanely flexible schedule so it's not a big deal even if he had to take her in instead of riding the bus.....until he gets a civilian job that is, lol. 

theartistformerlyknownas

emmaaa said:

lolo883 said:

Just because "schools never closed for cold when we were kids!" doesn't mean they shouldn't have. We have -20° wind chills here today... which means exposed skin like ears and noses can get frostbite in under 30 minutes. I'd much rather be late to work than have my kid lose an ear to frostbite because the bus couldn't get there on time.

You also risk school bus accidents on icy roads (salt doesn't melt ice below I believe 10°), teachers getting into accidents, everyone else being stuck in traffic due to said accidents... when we had -20° ACTUAL temps last year and -40° wind chills (BTW, the lowest actual temp EVER recorded here, so it was never that cold when I was a kid) I told my own employees to work from home. 

@lolo883, another thing that has frustrated people here is that the teachers did  not get the delay. They had to be in at normal time. My BFF is a teacher and her pipes were frozen this morning.

Ah yeah that's not cool. 

I think most industries could stand to be a lot more understanding when dealing with severe weather like this. Luckily mine is really cool about coming in late, working from home, etc., whether due to cold, snow, or flooding rain. Most of us are not that damn critical; bosses can take a breather!

cupcait927

mobride2015 said:

We've been dealing with the delayed start thing here too.  FSD was mad because her school didn't cancel yesterday, but not all schools did.  It's odd, because the temperature actually dropped from the time they normally would go to the delayed time.  FI's got an insanely flexible schedule so it's not a big deal even if he had to take her in instead of riding the bus.....until he gets a civilian job that is, lol. 

That was the situation here as well - the temp was colder by the time the two hour delay was over and the wind chill was worse. And it was all the more rural districts that were on a two hour delay. Our roads weren't that bad, a little icy but no snow, and the kids mostly get picked up at their house or a stop close to their house. All the schools in the major city were open on time, and the majority of those kids walk to school. They are also the kids that are more likely to be under-dressed - inner city with a lot less resources. It all seemed very backwards to me.

Inkdancer

Also in NC, and I used to have to walk 3/4 of a mile to get to my bus stop. In this weather... hells no. I know in the neighborhood next to mine, I see kids walking to school in just hoodies all the time. They don't have anything warmer to wear. So yeah, I definitely support keeping the kids safe and warm.

On the other hand, we never cancel for overly hot days. If it's 105 outside, you're going to school. You just might have indoor recess.

emmaaa

lolo883 said:

emmaaa said:

lolo883 said:

Just because "schools never closed for cold when we were kids!" doesn't mean they shouldn't have. We have -20° wind chills here today... which means exposed skin like ears and noses can get frostbite in under 30 minutes. I'd much rather be late to work than have my kid lose an ear to frostbite because the bus couldn't get there on time.

You also risk school bus accidents on icy roads (salt doesn't melt ice below I believe 10°), teachers getting into accidents, everyone else being stuck in traffic due to said accidents... when we had -20° ACTUAL temps last year and -40° wind chills (BTW, the lowest actual temp EVER recorded here, so it was never that cold when I was a kid) I told my own employees to work from home. 

@lolo883, another thing that has frustrated people here is that the teachers did  not get the delay. They had to be in at normal time. My BFF is a teacher and her pipes were frozen this morning.

Ah yeah that's not cool. 

I think most industries could stand to be a lot more understanding when dealing with severe weather like this. Luckily mine is really cool about coming in late, working from home, etc., whether due to cold, snow, or flooding rain. Most of us are not that damn critical; bosses can take a breather!

I wish mine was flexible. Since we're a municipality, we are expected to be open. The town I work in is 1 hour south of me and until last  year, had never been closed due to snow but we were closed 3 days last years. H has already said if it snows at our house this year and not at my work, I am not going. Us southerners can't drive in snow and it isn't worth the risk.

The  biggest issue for me is that I manage a facility. I am the only full time employee who knows how to and I have 2 assistants (one of which knows how to operate when I'm gone). So it is a hassle if I'm gone.

labro

I live in Georgia so I get this. Our buses don't operate on the same diesel mix as buses in the North do since it just never gets that cold here. They considered cancelling or delaying school here too...but the reasons revolved more around worry about pipes bursting (which happened last year when we had some extreme cold days) and buses not starting. As far as I know, schools started on time here. It got to around 9 degrees last night in most areas around Atlanta, but I think it got colder up in the mountains.

Maggie0829

lolo883 said:

emmaaa said:

lolo883 said:

Just because "schools never closed for cold when we were kids!" doesn't mean they shouldn't have. We have -20° wind chills here today... which means exposed skin like ears and noses can get frostbite in under 30 minutes. I'd much rather be late to work than have my kid lose an ear to frostbite because the bus couldn't get there on time.

You also risk school bus accidents on icy roads (salt doesn't melt ice below I believe 10°), teachers getting into accidents, everyone else being stuck in traffic due to said accidents... when we had -20° ACTUAL temps last year and -40° wind chills (BTW, the lowest actual temp EVER recorded here, so it was never that cold when I was a kid) I told my own employees to work from home. 

@lolo883, another thing that has frustrated people here is that the teachers did  not get the delay. They had to be in at normal time. My BFF is a teacher and her pipes were frozen this morning.

Ah yeah that's not cool. 

I think most industries could stand to be a lot more understanding when dealing with severe weather like this. Luckily mine is really cool about coming in late, working from home, etc., whether due to cold, snow, or flooding rain. Most of us are not that damn critical; bosses can take a breather!

I 100% agree with this.  A lot of the work that people do is not that serious to the point where if you have to come in late or not at all due to weather the world will end.  I know most bosses/companies may see it that way, but if they take a moment and really think about the work they are doing/providing, they will realize that the lives of their employees are more important (well, hopefully).

Now, if you are Bruce Willis training to blow up an asteroid that is making its way to Earth then get your ass to work!

southernbelle0915

Most people still have to go to work regardless of school delays/closings, so there's difficulty in juggling jobs with being a responsible parent. Especially with little kids...like what are you supposed to do when you have to go to work, the school is closed, and the kid is too young to stay home alone and catch the bus on their own. For people without flexible employers, this is an extremely difficult position to be in. 

On the flip side, my mom is one of those people who gets to decide when to call off school. And there's actually a conference call of all superintendents and they sort of make a joint decision. Probably so people aren't like "well School A is closed, why aren't WE closed?" They do have standards and thresholds, but it's also a judgement call. 

velvethelicopters

If we hit the mid blue wind chill box (30 minutes to frostbite), public schools delay or close here.

A big issue is in the morning when it's usually colder, the buses may not be able to start. If buses can't run, can't have school. If your gas powered car balks at turning over when parked outside, the diesel bus will not turn over.

On schools closing or not - school boards and superintendents change. Here we've also gone from K-6, 7-9, & 10-12 to K-5, 6-8, 9-12. Absolutely when I was in school, elementary did cancel and high school didn't. Plus, we did close school some each year. I can't say more or less. I do know one year, we closed enough they had to add time to each day AND run a week late. That year pretty much sucked.

PrettyGirlLost

cupcait927 said:

Both yesterday and today saw a smattering of school closings and delays in my neck of the woods. Funny enough - they were NOT the city schools were most of the kids have to walk to school. Our high yesterday morning and this morning was 3° with a windchill of -18°.

 

From what I've observed on FB over the past few years, my area is big on bitching about schools not being closed when the weather gets like this. It's Western NY. This weather is typical. I don't ever remember school being closed or delayed because it was too cold. And my parents certainly weren't going to keep me home because of it. They both grew up in Upstate NY, where the weather can get even worse.

This.  I cannot imagine that schools in the arctic mid-west states close or delay due to seasonal temps that happen every year.

I live in PA- we get winters too.  Adults should certainly know how to dress properly and parents should know how to dress their kids for winter.  There's no reason why schools should be closing because it's cold out.  I think the delays are stupid as well.

I commute via bus every day.  It's zero today with a windchill that puts the temp below zero.  I'm not freezing my ass off or getting frostbite, guess why?  Because I wear gloves, boots specially rated for warmth in sub zero temps and a down maxi coat.

Now, I have heard the rationale here that the school districts are concerned, especially in the city, that some kids may not have coats and what not and so they delay and close so those poor kids don't freeze to death. . . I can understand and support that logic.  It's very sad to me.

WhatawagSBNy

Sane and responsible parents around here have always kept their kids home if they were at risk from the cold, even if the kids who did not walk 1 1/2 miles each way attended. But 40 years ago, most families had 1 car and maybe farm vehicles. or trucks, and only about one in three mothers of all kids under 12 worked outside the home between late Oct and late Feb. Even 20 years ago, in every settlement of houses working mothers and any single parents with no teens or relatives to babysit
sent their kids to the nearest house with a parent home. No money just neighbors helping neighbors.
Since my mom had an office at home and the lady across the street was the only other adult home in winter, they alternated kid care. To us it was party time, with 15 to 20 neighborhood kids in one house.


We were not more hardy, we didn't go out in super cold. We just had alternate plans that did not screw up the work schedules of three quarters of the families in town. That is the real problem when schools close and have delayed openings.

Well, we were more hardy in that we were expected to walk or ride bikes longer distances than most kids now. But in reality, not officially closing even when only 50% of students attended meant not going to school longer in June.

Minimal instruction time lost- teachers were responsible for for providing alternative school work, often readings, so every child had the work at home. And coming back to school after 1 or several days out without your approx 4 hours actual work and reading done meant your parents got hauled in to a hearing, and you got 2 hours of detention for 3 days in a row for every day of home schoolwork not done.


Learning self discipline and taking responsibility, not expecting kids to be passive receivers of predigested stuff spooned out to them by teachers, was the normal parental and school expectation.

hellosweetie1015

I'm in Alabama. On Tuesday, the decision was made to delay 2 hours for my sister's school and others in our area for this morning, because our forecasters were predicting unusually cold weather.

It was 11 here last night, and when I checked the weather at 7 AM this morning it was 9, with wind chills below zero both times. For comparison, our average low is in the upper 20s WITH the wind chill, and I'm not usually equipped for that without multiple blankets. Our hot water froze and I'm currently sporting a hat because I could barely stand to wash even the important bits. We do not, most of us, own anything appropriate for this kind of weather, because it just does not happen here. Even in the Snowpocalypse last January, it was never this bitingly cold. 

We are just not equipped for this kind of weather. Not the people, not the cities, not the counties. We're rural, we're largely lower-income. We (especially the kids I know who are still in school) generally wear hoodies every day in the winter because a coat for lower temps gets used once a year max. Our schools have large districts - my siblings never rode the bus because it picked up at our house well before 6 AM for a tardy bell at 7:40 or so. Delaying is our best bet to keep our kids as safe as we can, and has been for at least the last 10 years - I was delayed a couple of times when I was in school as well.

ETA wow, it just hit me that I was a junior in high school a full decade ago. Son of a bitch. Now I'm gonna feel old all day. -.-

theartistformerlyknownas

southernbelle0915 said:

Most people still have to go to work regardless of school delays/closings, so there's difficulty in juggling jobs with being a responsible parent. Especially with little kids...like what are you supposed to do when you have to go to work, the school is closed, and the kid is too young to stay home alone and catch the bus on their own. For people without flexible employers, this is an extremely difficult position to be in. 

On the flip side, my mom is one of those people who gets to decide when to call off school. And there's actually a conference call of all superintendents and they sort of make a joint decision. Probably so people aren't like "well School A is closed, why aren't WE closed?" They do have standards and thresholds, but it's also a judgement call. 

Right, so if more employers were more flexible in when they require their employees to be at work during severe weather days, fewer people would have to choose between risking their child's safety (or someone's else's child, especially in areas with greater disparity in income levels where some of the kids might not even have a proper coat) and risking their job. But realistically, if the school buses PHYSICALLY CANNOT GET THERE to pick the kids up, which is very often the case, I don't know what people expect them to do. You'll probably still be late if you have to drop your kid off.

Obviously not every industry could do that... but then the cop's kid and the nurse's kid would probably have a better chance of hanging out with some other kid/parents until the bus can get there.

PrettyGirlLost

southernbelle0915 said:

Most people still have to go to work regardless of school delays/closings, so there's difficulty in juggling jobs with being a responsible parent. Especially with little kids...like what are you supposed to do when you have to go to work, the school is closed, and the kid is too young to stay home alone and catch the bus on their own. For people without flexible employers, this is an extremely difficult position to be in. 

On the flip side, my mom is one of those people who gets to decide when to call off school. And there's actually a conference call of all superintendents and they sort of make a joint decision. Probably so people aren't like "well School A is closed, why aren't WE closed?" They do have standards and thresholds, but it's also a judgement call. 

Can your mom close my university so I can stay at home?

Tha was the best part of SnowMyGod in what- 2008?  My university was closed for a week.  SNOW DAY FOR ADULTS!!!!!!!!

velvethelicopters

I don't know on accuracy of this, but someone claimed the northern winter diesel mix didn't work well in warmer temperature. For us, when it can be 50° one week and -3° with wind chill making it -25° the next, the northern winter blend wasn't feasible.

maeday2

 @prettygirllost That gif made my day. 

thespeshulestsnowflake

I remember getting called off for cold in HS (mainly because my district NEVER called off school, I have 1 snow and 1 cold day from K-12) and I was like "really?" But the main reason the district called off was because there are no buses and most Elementary and Middle school kids walk. The sidewalks get plowed before the roads do.

There was one time (5-6 years ago) it was the only school district in Metro Detroit open, the news stations were interviewing kids at my younger brother's school.

dolewhipper

I just want to chime in here and say to you all: I look up to you. I'm freezing my ass off at work and its 40 degrees outside and the sun is shining. I wore a heavy, ski style winter coat to work this AM. I wouldn't know what to do with myself in the temperatures you all are describing. I've had 5 days of my 27 years of existence experience snow, and I'm totally alright with it staying that way. 

On the flip side, we get hurricanes here and we would always pray for school to close. Most of the time our electricity would stay on, it would just be too flooded to get anywhere. So we would just party. Only a few times I remember our power went off; the last time it happened I think it was 2005.

I've never heard of school closing for extreme heat.

PrettyGirlLost

dolewhipper said:

I just want to chime in here and say to you all: I look up to you. I'm freezing my ass off at work and its 40 degrees outside and the sun is shining. I wore a heavy, ski style winter coat to work this AM. I wouldn't know what to do with myself in the temperatures you all are describing. I've had 5 days of my 27 years of existence experience snow, and I'm totally alright with it staying that way. 

On the flip side, we get hurricanes here and we would always pray for school to close. Most of the time our electricity would stay on, it would just be too flooded to get anywhere. So we would just party. Only a few times I remember our power went off; the last time it happened I think it was 2005.

I've never heard of school closing for extreme heat.

I love Floridians- you make me smile!

My sister has a close friend who was born and raised in PA then moved down to FL to work.  She wasn't there two years before she came up to visit and it was like 55 degrees out and she was all bundled up as if it was 25 degrees out, lol.

Please though, please consider sending PA some of that sun.  I can take the cold if I could just see the damn sun!!  I hate winters here because they are just so grey and overcast.  It feels like the northern reaches of the world where they have 6 months of darkness ><

levioosa

I don't feel like my pansy ass can contribute to this conversation.  It's sixty degrees in my office right now and I have my space heater on.  I say hell to the no to -40.  I can handle temps down to about 15 and then I just stay inside with hot cocoa and a onsie. Forget leaving the house.  No thank you. 

Maggie0829

PrettyGirlLost said:

dolewhipper said:

I just want to chime in here and say to you all: I look up to you. I'm freezing my ass off at work and its 40 degrees outside and the sun is shining. I wore a heavy, ski style winter coat to work this AM. I wouldn't know what to do with myself in the temperatures you all are describing. I've had 5 days of my 27 years of existence experience snow, and I'm totally alright with it staying that way. 

On the flip side, we get hurricanes here and we would always pray for school to close. Most of the time our electricity would stay on, it would just be too flooded to get anywhere. So we would just party. Only a few times I remember our power went off; the last time it happened I think it was 2005.

I've never heard of school closing for extreme heat.

I love Floridians- you make me smile!

My sister has a close friend who was born and raised in PA then moved down to FL to work.  She wasn't there two years before she came up to visit and it was like 55 degrees out and she was all bundled up as if it was 25 degrees out, lol.

Please though, please consider sending PA some of that sun.  I can take the cold if I could just see the damn sun!!  I hate winters here because they are just so grey and overcast.  It feels like the northern reaches of the world where they have 6 months of darkness ><

So much this!!  I just want the sun to shine.  It can be cold and windy but dammit just give me some sun!

dolewhipper

PrettyGirlLost said:

I love Floridians- you make me smile!

My sister has a close friend who was born and raised in PA then moved down to FL to work.  She wasn't there two years before she came up to visit and it was like 55 degrees out and she was all bundled up as if it was 25 degrees out, lol.

Please though, please consider sending PA some of that sun.  I can take the cold if I could just see the damn sun!!  I hate winters here because they are just so grey and overcast.  It feels like the northern reaches of the world where they have 6 months of darkness ><

55 is cold!

Here ya go, PrettyGirl. If I could Fed Ex some of this sunshine I would. The cold front came thru last night so no moisture in sight. At least my hair didn't frizz the moment I stepped outside.

ETA And Maggie, here's some sun

levioosa

@dolewhipper We are the same!  Haha.

We've had school close because of heat before, but mostly because the air conditioner broke, and it's not humane to close thirty kids in a classroom when it's 118 out.  I think (I could be wrong) it's California law that if the plumbing/water is out, the air is out (if the temperature is too high) or if the heater is out (and it's below a certain temp) it is illegal to have class.  I guess if it was so cold that the pipes froze in NC that could be a reason for canceling school too? 

dolewhipper

levioosa said:

@dolewhipper We are the same!  Haha.

We've had school close because of heat before, but mostly because the air conditioner broke, and it's not humane to close thirty kids in a classroom when it's 118 out.  I think (I could be wrong) it's California law that if the plumbing/water is out, the air is out (if the temperature is too high) or if the heater is out (and it's below a certain temp) it is illegal to have class.  I guess if it was so cold that the pipes froze in NC that could be a reason for canceling school too? 

That makes sense.

I would probably call off work/school/stay in a hotel before being anywhere without A/C in the summer. in July it can feel 120+ with heat index and humidity 100%. At least yall get a break on the humidity, right?

teddygirl9

I dont think I've ever had my school delayed because of cold weather, but I live in Canada, where it gets plenty colder than that.

 

The only thing I remember being similar to this, is when we have a crazy blizzard/3ft of snow in one night, is that the teachers just don't get upset when you don't show up. They expect most people to cancel, and will either give bonus marks/quiz answers to the people who showed up, but no absenceses or negatives to the people who decided not to come in. I'd prefer this over pushing the time back, but that's just what I'm used to.

levioosa

dolewhipper said:

levioosa said:

@dolewhipper We are the same!  Haha.

We've had school close because of heat before, but mostly because the air conditioner broke, and it's not humane to close thirty kids in a classroom when it's 118 out.  I think (I could be wrong) it's California law that if the plumbing/water is out, the air is out (if the temperature is too high) or if the heater is out (and it's below a certain temp) it is illegal to have class.  I guess if it was so cold that the pipes froze in NC that could be a reason for canceling school too? 

That makes sense.

I would probably call off work/school/stay in a hotel before being anywhere without A/C in the summer. in July it can feel 120+ with heat index and humidity 100%. At least yall get a break on the humidity, right?

Sometimes we do.  I mean, even when it's humid it's not as bad as Florida, but we still get it.  Oddly enough it always used to be dry heat growing up (which is great because then 110 still feels like 90).  It's only in the last five years that you walk outside and go "This heat, omg.  Why do I feel super wet and oppressed? WTF is this?"  I actually prefer humid heat though.  My skin, hair and joints love it. 

dolewhipper

levioosa said:

Sometimes we do.  I mean, even when it's humid it's not as bad as Florida, but we still get it.  Oddly enough it always used to be dry heat growing up (which is great because then 110 still feels like 90).  It's only in the last five years that you walk outside and go "This heat, omg.  Why do I feel super wet and oppressed? WTF is this?"  I actually prefer humid heat though.  My skin, hair and joints love it. 

LOL. My skin and hair HATE it! 

Come to think of it, I went to Disneyland last August during Memorial Day. I was sooo excited because I knew it'd be hot but it wouldn't be humid. Come to find out, yall had some kind of weather thing and it was humid! I was kind of sad. Though, it still was lower humidity than where I live. 

southernbelle0915

lolo883 said:

southernbelle0915 said:

Most people still have to go to work regardless of school delays/closings, so there's difficulty in juggling jobs with being a responsible parent. Especially with little kids...like what are you supposed to do when you have to go to work, the school is closed, and the kid is too young to stay home alone and catch the bus on their own. For people without flexible employers, this is an extremely difficult position to be in. 

On the flip side, my mom is one of those people who gets to decide when to call off school. And there's actually a conference call of all superintendents and they sort of make a joint decision. Probably so people aren't like "well School A is closed, why aren't WE closed?" They do have standards and thresholds, but it's also a judgement call. 

Right, so if more employers were more flexible in when they require their employees to be at work during severe weather days, fewer people would have to choose between risking their child's safety (or someone's else's child, especially in areas with greater disparity in income levels where some of the kids might not even have a proper coat) and risking their job. But realistically, if the school buses PHYSICALLY CANNOT GET THERE to pick the kids up, which is very often the case, I don't know what people expect them to do. You'll probably still be late if you have to drop your kid off.

Obviously not every industry could do that... but then the cop's kid and the nurse's kid would probably have a better chance of hanging out with some other kid/parents until the bus can get there.

Totally agree. In the industries that can do it, they should. 

Plus, in this day and age of technology, working remote is a totally viable option. It just requires trust. If employers hire people they trust, it shouldn't be a problem. But alas, the traditional work place rears its ugly head.

This combination of things especially pisses me off because I work at headquarters for a hospital system. Obviously we do no clinical care at my office, it's 'headquarters' type work. There are about 1,300 people on the campus. However, because people have to staff our hospitals, we have to come to work too - even though our physical presence is non-essential. Which makes no sense because literally every single person has a laptop and can work from home. Just stupid politics. #rantover

chibiyui

I remember being let out early due to heat, and that's in south central PA.

I'd argue some of the bitching concerning schools not cancelling for extreme temperature before is a combination of extreme temperature like this not being terribly common in the past and bad memories of whiney adults.

classicalandedgy

I'm in CT and we are experiencing the same issues too.  School was delayed two hours today.  Fortunately, my fiancé works for the school system too, so he is able to deal with the delays for our seven year old son.  However, I can see how this is a real problem for parents who don't have alternate child care, or employers who are not flexible. 

Truth be told I didn't even want to get my pansy ass up this morning and head out in negative degree temps to go to work, much less send our seven year old out in the cold.  I've lived in the North East all my life and will never get accustomed to the cold, and I know that it can be colder in so many other parts of the country.  

In regard to missing school time, I think it is my responsibility as a parent to make sure my son is getting the instruction he needs IMO.   So if I feel something is lacking at school, then I take the time out to review school work with him beyond just homework.  I am fortunate that his school uses an app that tracks his school progress, so I can see the areas where he is lacking the most and address them to make sure he is staying up to speed and we can have access to school work on days off, so it works well for us.