Weather Related School Closures

[Jdeere562]

How are your local schools doing this year? Think ours have closed 5 or 6 days so far. Snow and blowing winds have been our concern.
Son-in-law works for our county road dept. Think last week alone, he logged 36 hours of overtime plowing snow. Probably did it again
this week, but i have not asked. School is closed again today. Can't keep the rural roads open, due to powdery snow and never stopping
winds.

 

[Thermo1223]

Meanwhile they closed for flurries here today.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Around here, schools are allowed to declare 6 snow days per school year. If they declare more, they're going to have to do make-up days later. My kid's school already burned through 4 of them.

 

[JavierH19]

My local district shut down just on Tuesday. Others nearby tried but had heating and plumbing issues.

 

[Leo99]

Around here, schools are allowed to declare 6 snow days per school year. If they declare more, they're going to have to do make-up days later. My kid's school already burned through 4 of them.

Do you have the ability to learn at home? I thought that common after the Covid school closures.

 

[buster]

In the 80's we went to school when there was 6-12"'s on the ground in NJ. At the time I was told our school superintendent was from New Hampshire. I remember my dad coming to our school when there was 10''s on the ground and pulling us out for early dismissal. These days it seems like they close schools before snow even hits the ground. Not sure what has changed. Our schools are closed today.

 

[SC Maintenance]

In the 80's we went to school when there was 6-12"'s on the ground in NJ. At the time I was told our school superintendent was from New Hampshire. I remember my dad coming to our school when there was 10''s on the ground and pulling us out for early dismissal. These days it seems like they close schools before snow even hits the ground. Not sure what has changed. Our schools are closed today.

Likelihood of lawsuit has changed - my guess. Or bad press.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Do you have the ability to learn at home? I thought that common after the Covid school closures.

The schools here closed last Monday due to high winds - gusts were 60mph at times, which I agree would be dangerous for small children to be out in or buses. They did remote learning day - so doesn't count against them.

Only snows here once every 15 years or so but we had more than the reserved days for Hurricane's one year. There were multiple districts so the legislature passed a law they didn't have to make it up for that year. So around here its more like guidelines not rules, I guess.

 

[SevenBizzos]

It's been a mess. Snow, broken pipes, and cold. Our schools just flip to e-learning but can only do so for a few days a year.
If you were wondering why they close so easily, it's certainly for liability issues. Drive by the bus stops before school. Kids don't wear coats. It's some kind of combination of shorts, sport pants, pajama pants, and a hoodie - even when it's close to zero degrees out. It's not safe and the school is responsible to get them to school.

 

[Leo99]

In the 80's we went to school when there was 6-12"'s on the ground in NJ. At the time I was told our school superintendent was from New Hampshire. I remember my dad coming to our school when there was 10''s on the ground and pulling us out for early dismissal. These days it seems like they close schools before snow even hits the ground. Not sure what has changed. Our schools are closed today.

I think we've gotten smarter. It's not worth having kids and buses and parents out in slippery conditions to avoid a snow day. But I do concur with your memory. I remember waiting for the bus in blizzards.

 

[Leo99]

The schools here closed last Monday due to high winds - gusts were 60mph at times, which I agree would be dangerous for small children to be out in or buses. They did remote learning day - so doesn't count against them.

Only snows here once every 15 years or so but we had more than the reserved days for Hurricane's one year. There were multiple districts so the legislature passed a law they didn't have to make it up for that year. So around here its more like guidelines not rules, I guess.

I remember hearing something about a minimum of 180 days in order to count a full school year but who knows where that came from.

 

[Thermo1223]

It's been a mess. Snow, broken pipes, and cold. Our schools just flip to e-learning but can only do so for a few days a year.
If you were wondering why they close so easily, it's certainly for liability issues. Drive by the bus stops before school. Kids don't wear coats. It's some kind of combination of shorts, sport pants, pajama pants, and a hoodie - even when it's close to zero degrees out. It's not safe and the school is responsible to get them to school.

This...

We were kept outside the school until exactly 8:15(insurance) during my years in Elementary & Middle school. I remember Middle school especially as the one winter had negative morning temps for weeks. If you didn't dress appropriately it was your own fault. Kids today are way more coddled.

 

[Malo83]

Our schools are on 2 hr delays due to heavy fog.

 

[97prizm]

In the 80's we went to school when there was 6-12"'s on the ground in NJ. At the time I was told our school superintendent was from New Hampshire. I remember my dad coming to our school when there was 10''s on the ground and pulling us out for early dismissal. These days it seems like they close schools before snow even hits the ground. Not sure what has changed. Our schools are closed today.

Yeah in 1991 I was in 4th grade. We had a blizzard the day before and holy Cow the next day with over knee high snow we were in class.

 

[PF52]

Kids don't wear coats. It's some kind of combination of shorts, sport pants, pajama pants, and a hoodie - even when it's close to zero degrees out.

Only Boomers wear coats!

But seriously, I think part of the problem is it seems every school cranks the heat up to about 80 degrees indoors all winter. And then they wonder why germs spread so readily....

 

[eljefino]

When my kids were in elementary school they'd call off recess if it was below 20 degrees because of the poor kids that didn't have coats, they didn't want to embarrass them so they didn't let anyone outside.

IMO if you're a parent in Maine and can't scrounge a coat for your kid, you're doing something wrong. They have them at goodwill and there are even charities you can ask.

As for school closures the first few snow days are "free" but then they break into remote learning if too many happen, so the kids still get summer vacation on time.

 

[wander2039]

Our boys has had 3-4 off due to snow, one day was extreme temps. When they went back this week (Tuesday) the youngest boys bus didn't even show up, it was -7. He and a friend had to walk back to our house and his mom took them. THAT'S what's dangerous. Way too many say kids are coddled these days when you forget the bus drivers, these are the same drivers that your drive around with everyday. Very few good drivers capable of driving a car in snow/ice let alone a big bus. My bus driver was a dirt track racer, how many of them are left? I don't mind them taking the days off, even prefer it.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I remember hearing something about a minimum of 180 days in order to count a full school year but who knows where that came from.

Yes, its 180 days of instruction here, hence the needing of a "hardship" waiver from the legislature. I think in the end they were only under by 2 or 3 days.

 

[Jdeere562]

Our roads are pretty nasty. Some of the country folks were snowed in for days.

 

[Jdeere562]