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

emmaaa · January 2015

Here in NC, many school systems decided to operate on a 2 hour delay due to the cold temperatures. I woke up at 430 am and it was 5° and had only warmed up to 9° by the time I left at 7 am.

The reason the school systems made this decision was because many children ride the buses and would have to wait outside in the cold and some would have to walk to their bus stop. Much of the county I live in is rural so the bus route is often 1 1/2 hours long or more and if you have ever ridden a school bus, the heat on it sucks. Since the buses are operated on diesel fuel, they have a hard time starting in the cold as well.

Many parents and even people who have no stake in the matter (no children in school, like myself) are upset that the school is taking away class time because it is cold. A lot of parents have to go into work late so they can either take their kids to school or wait for the bus with them. They feel like the school system is "babying" the kids because they have NEVER delayed school for cold temperatures before and it has been colder than this before. Many also argue that there are other states that are much colder all the time that don't delay schools.

I personally can see both sides to this argument. While I think it is silly to delay school because it's cold, at least they aren't cancelling and kids are still getting classroom time. What are your thoughts? Have you ever heard of this?

mikenberger · January 2015

emmaaa said:

Here in NC, many school systems decided to operate on a 2 hour delay due to the cold temperatures. I woke up at 430 am and it was 5° and had only warmed up to 9° by the time I left at 7 am.

The reason the school systems made this decision was because many children ride the buses and would have to wait outside in the cold and some would have to walk to their bus stop. Much of the county I live in is rural so the bus route is often 1 1/2 hours long or more and if you have ever ridden a school bus, the heat on it sucks. Since the buses are operated on diesel fuel, they have a hard time starting in the cold as well.

Many parents and even people who have no stake in the matter (no children in school, like myself) are upset that the school is taking away class time because it is cold. A lot of parents have to go into work late so they can either take their kids to school or wait for the bus with them. They feel like the school system is "babying" the kids because they have NEVER delayed school for cold temperatures before and it has been colder than this before. Many also argue that there are other states that are much colder all the time that don't delay schools.

I personally can see both sides to this argument. While I think it is silly to delay school because it's cold, at least they aren't cancelling and kids are still getting classroom time. What are your thoughts? Have you ever heard of this?

Have I heard of this? It's called yesterday! It was -30 here with the wind chill, far too cold for the kiddies to go out and wait for the bus. They actually CANCELED school here yesterday. It never got over 0. I think the high was like -3 (without the wind chill). Today, a lot of schools are operating on a 2 hour delay. High will be close to 19 (SHORTS WEATHER!).

It's pretty common around here to have 1-2 days delayed/canceled due to extreme cold. We also early release for extreme heat, usually 1-2 days of that as well. I do get a little pissy about it though because why when I went to school... we never canceled or delayed or early release for any of these weather conditions. We stuck to our chairs in the heat and we bundled up in 3 layers in the cold. And we liked it.

ETA: Removing my redundancy.

novella1186 · January 2015

They've never cancelled school on account of cold where I grew up, and it's an area where it can (and does) get to be 30 or 40 BELOW zero. Never really affected me cuz I lived close to the school so my friend and I always car pooled when we were kids and one of our parents dropped us off at the doors, but it always made my mom mad that "all those kids will be standing outside at bus stops."

Since I never had to do it and I don't have kids, I guess I can't weigh in very much. But I can understand states reacting this way when they don't typically get such cold temperatures. Cuz like I said, where I grew up it was normal to be so cold. But if it's not normal in another place, the administration may not know how to react, or they may think the kids in that area don't own warm enough clothes to keep them safe outside in such temperatures, ya know?

I can kind of see it from both sides...

[Deleted User] · January 2015

I'm in Ohio, the actual temp was -7 this morning, with wind chills of -25. Pretty much all of the schools around here closed today too. In the 5 minute walk from my parking garage into my building, my legs were very tingly and numb. It wasn't fun. The school closings happened last year too.

I can see it being frustrating to have to go in to work late, and have the kids make up the day at the end of the school year if they cancel, but I personally would rather do that than make my child stand in dangerous temps. I don't remember school ever getting canceled when I was a kid for cold temps though! But my school bus would stop at each house, and my mom stayed at home so I could wait inside.

maeday2 · January 2015

This EXACT situation is occurring here, too. I'm very East TN, about 10 min from VA or 20 from NC. It was 3 degrees this morning and they delayed schools here as well due to the temps.

The county schools here (out where I live) are typically closed for any sign of cold/snow/ice due to how rural the area is and the roads are a slip and slide. I was surprised this morning to see the city schools are delayed as well.

I see both sides to it, but I also know there are much colder areas of this country who are capable of getting their kids to school on time.

This post made me laugh though, because I kid you not this morning I bitched when I passed the school. It was purely selfish. I was cold and flipped them off because I still had to go to work. Damn kids.

climbingsingle · January 2015

It's really weird to me that they delay school for the cold. I grew up in NY, and remember many a cold winter day standing outside at the bus stop in my Catholic school uniform freezing my ass off. And even though I lived within 15 minutes of the school, the bus ride was still pretty damn long.

Also, it was 4 degrees this morning. Blurgh.

maeday2 · January 2015

I will say though, I can make sense of it for my area since we are very mountainous.

This past week it's been beautiful and sunny, but the mountains are covered in snow on the tops. Some kids live in higher elevations, so I understand them having more issues to get into town.

I also saw on our news last night that with wind chill factored in the top of Grandfather Mtn was -40 degrees. I'd hibernate, too.

emmaaa · January 2015

I really do see both sides but a part of me is being a brat and saying, "We NEVER got a delay for cold or early release for hot temperatures....even when the heater/ac were broken." I'm only 24 so I've been out of HS for 6 years, and my little brother is 21 and out for 3 years. This never happened with either of us so it is very recent.

HeatherKat · January 2015

Schools have been cancelled/delayed the last day or two here in Green Bay. The temperature in the morning hasn't been above zero (with windchills of -20 to -35).

People are complaining about how "school was never cancelled when I was a kid, blah blah blah". I don't get it. I don't want to leave the house when it's this cold, and I've got a solid 100# on an average kid. Waiting at the bus stop is going to get you frostbite/hypothermia. Same with walking to school.

And the kids here have snow pants, and heavy coats, and long johns. Does the average kid in North Carolina own cold weather gear that can handle temps that cold?

ShellD13 · January 2015

No delay here and it was -15 when the kids left for school this morning. Granted my SD is old enough to drive so I don't worry about them standing at the bus stop or sitting on a cold bus for an extended period of time. Before she was old enough to drive I would have brought them out to the bus stop in the car and waited for the bus to arrive. But it sounds like we are in a far more suburban area because they are only on the bus for about 15/20 minutes before they arrive at school vs. the 1 1/2 hours that you mentioned.

I lived in a very rural area growing up and I can remember school being cancelled just for kids who lived in our specific area because the temps were so cold the dirt roads were frozen and had glare ice but the paved roads were fine that used to raise an uproar too.

As far as I'm concerned if getting the kids to school or keeping them at school poses a safety risk (unsafe driving conditions, excessively cold temperatures for extended periods of time, etc...) for the school district employees -or- kids then school should be at a minimum delayed to try to mitigate the safety hazards.

Then again I have the luxury of working for a family owned business which is very understanding of family obligations along with the ability to work from home if absolutely necessary. I imagine there are a lot of parents out there that for whatever reason don't have that flexibility and it makes it incredibly tough when school is delayed or canceled like this. I also know how unfair the situation can feel to the folks who don't have kids yet have to cover and or meet expectations that their coworkers with kids can't. It is a tough call!

arrippa · January 2015

Some districts cancelled school here today. Today is also the day the governor is sworn in (usually outside). Since the temp this morning was -1, I have no idea what they are going to do.

emmaaa · January 2015

HeatherKat said:

Schools have been cancelled/delayed the last day or two here in Green Bay. The temperature in the morning hasn't been above zero (with windchills of -20 to -35).

People are complaining about how "school was never cancelled when I was a kid, blah blah blah". I don't get it. I don't want to leave the house when it's this cold, and I've got a solid 100# on an average kid. Waiting at the bus stop is going to get you frostbite/hypothermia. Same with walking to school.

And the kids here have snow pants, and heavy coats, and long johns. Does the average kid in North Carolina own cold weather gear that can handle temps that cold?

@HeatherKat The bolded is another point that a lot of people have made. I mean yes, the average kid (those who can afford it) own winter coats, pants, gloves, and boots. However, the temperatures today are not normal so most aren't used to it being this cold.

cupcait927 · January 2015

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.

emmaaa · January 2015

scribe95 said:

Yep. Here in Indiana my daughter had a two hour delay the last two days and they canceled today. It was 9 below when I left for work. Wind chill like 30 below. Kids shouldn't be waiting for buses in this cold. And it is no warmer two hours later. Also, unless every bus has a warming block it is hard to get them all running at these temps.

They aren't "taking away instruction." At least here. They have built in snow make up days into the calendar. For instance we have two in the schedule for later this month. I imagine they will use them if they need now.

@scribe95, I think the major argument for taking away instruction time is when it is on a delay. We are on a block schedule so each class is 1.5 - 2 hours long. When there is a delay, the class time is reduced to 45 minutes and many teachers feel like they can't get everything done in that time period and the time isn't given back.

You're right about it not getting much warmer later one. The high today is like 25 (I know that's not cold for many but we're used to it being in the 40's) and our buses don't have a heat block so the two hours won't make a huge difference.

mrsk616 · January 2015

over 660 schools in northeast ohio canceled today due to the cold. my car was in garage over night by the time i got to high way my car said it was 1 out. i started my car and it said 20. we have had 2 hr delays but ohio passed for more calamity days so instead of delaying they ending up canceling. usually the delay is when its icy out or something crazy

novella1186 · January 2015

Not gonna lie, I get really jealous when school is cancelled for stuff like this. It's cancelled here today but I think a lot of that is because the roads are absolutely awful.

A lady in my office yesterday said that tomorrow is supposed to be a high of -12, so we should all be encouraged to work from home because it's dangerous to be out in those temps.

Part of me agrees with her. The roads suck, my car is iced in, I hate going out when it's so cold, and I could easily just work from home (although I never ask to so unless I'm actually sick, so I will definitely be in the office tomorrow).

But then part of me is also thinking, well, we're adults. We can't just stay home when the weather is bad because the weather is bad a lot. No matter how much it sucks, you gotta get your butt out of bed and get to work. If it was really so dangerous to be out, the city would step in and declare a state of emergency and close the roads (which happened a few times last winter but I doubt it will happen this winter). And even a couple of the times we were in a state of emergency last winter, our company was still open and we still had to come in.

Shoulda cherished those snow days more when I was a kid.

emmaaa · January 2015

Here in NC (especially where I live in the central part of the state, not the mountains) schools cancel if there is a 5% chance of snow/ice. When I was in elementary and middle school this wasn't the case, we went to school until the snow started to stick.

When I was in high school, the school system didn't cancel one day and it started snowing on our way to school. Apparently 3 or 4 teenagers who were driving wrecked their cars and died and the school system faced a huge lawsuit for not cancelling. So now I think they are so afraid to be sued that they take the better safe than sorry approach.

jenna8984 · January 2015

This has been a huge debate on my facebook since all the schools around here have a 2 hour delay. Many were saying "just bundle the kids in appropriate gear and they'll be fine". But many others pointed out that there are kids who don't have the proper gear. Whether it be their parents are just dipshits, or they really can't afford it. My local school started a coat drive because kids were coming in yesterday with just hoodies.

So as much as I do agree with the "suck it up, we never got days off", it's not right to have these kids standing in the cold and suffering because of their parent's mistakes. But then it also inconveniences all the parents who DO provide their kids the proper clothing, so it's a catch 22. Helping someone will screw someone else either way. In this situation, I'd rather screw the parent's end of being an hour late for work rather than a kid dying of frostbite.

To me, it's different between NC (even Boston) and places like Canada or North Dakota because there everyone really is prepared for it and there likely aren't 50 kids without jackets/hats. It's the same argument when people complain that NYC shuts down of a heat wave. "People in Phoenix work in 116°!" Yes, but their city is built around air conditioners and NYC has mostly buildings 150 years old that aren't equiped for that.

WinstonsGirl · January 2015

My board never cancels school, never delays. The resin is that not everyone would hear it was closed/delayed and they would send little Johnny and leave before seeing if gets into the school (with the empty parking lot) and he would be outside for 8 hours by himself.

The rural areas will cancel busses and or school, and it's all over the news, social media, etc. I'm in northern Alberta. We still have kids who don't dress for the weather, either cos it's not cool or they can't afford warmer clothing. I still say send them though, especially in the cities. We also keep kids inside for recess/lunch when it hits -23C or lower. They're all squirrley this week.

ETA - I was so jealous when I heard of all the Americans having snow days (up to 2 weeks off!!) until I learned that most made them up by having days tacked on at the end of the school year. No thanks. I like knowing exactly when I'm off.

thisismynickname2 · January 2015

I do remember school being closed for snow and ice only, not extreme cold. But there are weather patterns-- people bitching the most about the cold and snow this year and last year weren't alive during some of the ridiculously extreme weather in the 70s that my dad remembers.

That being said, what bothers me is not the school closings-- it's my coworkers who think work should be closed. As it is, the last two days they've allowed a 2 hour delay for shift workers. But fucking man up and put on your long johns, Sorels, and North Face sleeping-bag coats. We pay enough in taxes that the roads are pretty clear and if your Metra train or CTA transit breaks down, your bosses won't hold you accountable. Sheesh.

Wegl13 · January 2015

Most of north and central AL is on a 2 hour delay. The thing is- I haven't owned "good cold gear"... Ever. And I grew up in this state. I purchased ski jacket, hat, gloves, pants, and a good base layer.... Last year. When I went skiing. It was a pretty penny, and I can imagine if you've got a kid that's going to grow out of it, it's likely you won't have this kind of gear if you are lower or middle class. Also apparently there are no heaters on the average Alabama bus? I never rode the bus so I can't confirm this.
I can't imagine having school cancelled for heat, though that is bizarre. We did have days we couldn't go outside because the air quality in downtown Birmingham was so bad!

HeatherKat · January 2015

On a slightly off topic but still related note:

I am SO damn excited that we are supposed to get snow this afternoon. Not because I like snow, but because it'll be warm enough to snow! Hopefully this will be then end of this bitterly cold/windy snap we've had for the last week.

Though I'm totally ok with it continuing to be super cold on Sunday when the Cowboys come to Lambeau. Ice Bowl 2.0?

Maggie0829 · January 2015

I agree with delaying or cancelling school due to severe cold temperatures. Sure some kids may be properly dressed because they have parents who are diligent about their safety, but I am also sure that there are many kids who don't have the proper cold weather gear and could potentially get frostbite when standing outside waiting for the bus.

And sorry not sorry to the parents throwing a fit, but when you have kids you have to deal with possible delays and cancellations. It is all part of being a parent. And the parents bitching about the delays/cancellations would also be the one's to bitch if no delay or cancellation was given if it snowed 2 inches or would throw a fit if their kid got frostbite on their fingers or nose because school was on time and their kid had to stand outside for 15 minutes, even though they would have bitched if school was delayed to help prevent just that. For some parents there is no winning.

mikenberger · January 2015

HeatherKat said:

On a slightly off topic but still related note:

I am SO damn excited that we are supposed to get snow this afternoon. Not because I like snow, but because it'll be warm enough to snow! Hopefully this will be then end of this bitterly cold/windy snap we've had for the last week.

Though I'm totally ok with it continuing to be super cold on Sunday when the Cowboys come to Lambeau. Ice Bowl 2.0?

All of this. I'm a Bears fan but I'm also a fan of anybody that plays the Cowboys.

I do admit though, I park my car outside and I've been loving the cold dry air... no frost on my car! And that means no scraping my windows at 6am.

theartistformerlyknownas · January 2015

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.

photokitty · January 2015

Schools here were canceled last night. With the wind chill the busses can't start, the diesel freezes at a certain temp, coupled with kids at risk for frostbite after 10 mins of exposure.

I think the biggest difference is that in one or two generations we have seen a shift from many households having a stay at home parent, so now it's a bigger issue. That and global warming - keep saying it's not real. I just wish it did what it sounds like it does - make is warmer all the time...not colder in the damn winter.

loveislouder · January 2015

I liv in Manitoba. Anything below -40 C without windchill (which is also -40F) the busses get cancelled, but parents can still take their kids to school. Anything below -45C (-49F) classes are cancelled and schools closed because teachers can't even get to school. People have died from being exposed to the elements here (two this week) so I think that's one of our school board's better decisions.

theartistformerlyknownas · January 2015

FYI, this is how wind chill is calculated, and how much quicker you get frost bite when those bitter cold winds kick in. Wind chill is not just what it "feels like," it correlates to how much quicker water freezes with the addition of wind - i.e. if the temperature is 0 but the wind is 25 mph, water (and skin) will freeze as if it's -24°.

HeatherKat · January 2015

mikenberger said:

HeatherKat said:

On a slightly off topic but still related note:

I am SO damn excited that we are supposed to get snow this afternoon. Not because I like snow, but because it'll be warm enough to snow! Hopefully this will be then end of this bitterly cold/windy snap we've had for the last week.

Though I'm totally ok with it continuing to be super cold on Sunday when the Cowboys come to Lambeau. Ice Bowl 2.0?

All of this. I'm a Bears fan but I'm also a fan of anybody that plays the Cowboys.

I do admit though, I park my car outside and I've been loving the cold dry air... no frost on my car! And that means no scraping my windows at 6am.

I thought about "loving" this post, but I can't love anything involving the Bears.

I do, however, love my engine block heater. There is no way my 16 year old car would be starting in these horrible temps without it! Now if only I had remote start so my Jeep would be toasty warm the second I got in.

theartistformerlyknownas · January 2015

HeatherKat said: On a slightly off topic but still related note:>
I am SO damn excited that we are supposed to get snow this afternoon. Not because I like snow, but because it'll be warm enough to snow! Hopefully this will be then end of this bitterly cold/windy snap we've had for the last week.
Though I'm totally ok with it continuing to be super cold on Sunday when the Cowboys come to Lambeau. Ice Bowl 2.0? Can't fix these damn boxes... Please, PLEASE metaphorically murder those damn Cowboys for us! Signed, all Detroit Lions fans and supporters of fair and honest reffing.

emmaaa · January 2015

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.

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

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