School Closing

[HILLCYD]

What do you want the result of this to be? If they cancel school and you disagree, are you going to send you kid to school anyway? I guess I just don't understand the point of complaining about this. Do you really think the school wants to keep cancelling? They are taking the safety of the kids and staff into consideration.

Again...my issue is the case of closing when it is not needed. IMO, today was one of those. 1 cancellation earlier this year was absolutely not needed and another one was likely not needed. Other schools all over the place were in school those days.

My point in the thread was seeing if anyone had specific policy information that districts use. No one does. Great.

I can let it go.

 

[ruxCYtable]

I think they need to be more liberal with the two hour delay; those still count as a full school day. My kids have had, I believe, five snow days this year and at least three of those a two hour delay would have more than sufficed. If there is any doubt, what is wrong with announcing a delay and then canceling later if conditions don't improve? I don't understand why they don't do that more often since it at least gives you some options.

 

[HILLCYD]

I think they need to be more liberal with the two hour delay; those still count as a full school day. My kids have had, I believe, five snow days this year and at least three of those a two hour delay would have more than sufficed. If there is any doubt, what is wrong with announcing a delay and then canceling later if conditions don't improve? I don't understand they they don't do that more often since it at least gives you some options.

Agreed 100%. This would have worked today for sure, as well as others.

3 times this year they delayed 2 hours, just to cancel later.

 

[aeroclone]

Again...my issue is the case of closing when it is not needed. IMO, today was one of those. 1 cancellation earlier this year was absolutely not needed and another one was likely not needed. Other schools all over the place were in school those days.

My point in the thread was seeing if anyone had specific policy information that districts use. No one does. Great.

I can let it go.

I think the liability issue is a big one. And I also think that the schools feel like they are better off playing it too cautious than ending up with kids when they shouldn't. I can remember when I was at school at Waukee when they had us come to school after a late start, and then things kicked up quickly in the afternoon. The bus company deemed that it wasn't safe to send the busses out, so any kids that usually ride the bus needed to be picked up by parents. It was about 7 or 8pm before the last kids were out the door. I think that ticked off plenty of parents, and it seemed like the district was much quicker to cancel classes after that incident. Better safe than sorry I guess.

 

[khehr]

I have around gravel roads for a long time. For the most part people who live on gravel roads can get out and take care of themselves. Again, not all, but many.

If you look at the original intention of the thread, it stated that there are times when I feel (personally, in my opinion) that schools cancel without the need to. You can disagree, that is fine. Secondly, I was wondering about the actual policies around cancellations. I searched my district's website and couldn't find anything.

Several parents in my district have been complaining and I am thinking of writing a letter to the district to lay out their policies so I can better understand.

No district has any specific policies. The decision to have/not have school is up to an individual in the district usually the superintendent.

 

[cychhosis]

I think alot of these schools need to start thinking about cancelling that week of spring break that they have coming up in march.
They cancel school, but then I have to get my kids to daycare and then myself to work.

Lots of families and teachers book flights and get away during those breaks. Are you going to make people eat those tickets? Do you want a sub teaching for a week (probably at around $100-130/day)?

The other option is to make up days on Saturdays. Last time my school did that was quite a joke. Only about half the kids came.

 

[HILLCYD]

Lots of families and teachers book flights and get away during those breaks. Are you going to make people eat those tickets? Do you want a sub teaching for a week (probably at around $100-130/day)?

The other option is to make up days on Saturdays. Last time my school did that was quite a joke. Only about half the kids came.

Hate tell you, many schools are going this route.

 

[CrossCyed]

I don't really post anymore, but I guarantee you any school administrator/teacher/official will gladly cancel school (remember, it's not like the entire staff doesn't have to make those up as well) so that lives aren't put in any danger.

 

[cyrevkah]

I think that this has more to it than most people would admit.

With fewer rural districts, kids are traveling farther now that they had to in the past to get to school. And many times they're driving on their own - not a big deal if they have a 10 mile round trip, but 50 mile round trips are much more common now than they were.

I don't think that anyone wants to be the administrator that doesn't cancel classes and a kid ends up dead due to inclement weather.

When I was in highschool most of my friends would use the snow day to go sledding or drive to eachothers houses. (I realize that wasn't very safe...but we had the 'free day' mentality)

 

[4VR4CY]

I drove from Ankeny to Ames this morning and it was HORRID! Also, 2 professors had to stay in Ames overnight because they could not get to their house when they tried at noon and at 3:00 yesterday. They tried again this morning and it was still blocked. I hope they can get home this afternoon. They live on gravel and the drifts were too bad to pass. It was bad enough in rural areas to cancel school for sure today.

 

[du4duks]

The roads are still bad in Northern Iowa today, but are getting better. Most roads were still closed this morning.

 

[iowajazz]

Again, I am all for safety. Yesterday = a good day to cancel classes.

This morning while I was out the roads were far from great, but definitely not terrible. I went out a little later and the highway was actually clean and dry.

This has really been a bad winter, but they seem to pull the trigger a little more quickly than I am used oto.

Parents are also much more willing to sue a school district than they used to be. Districts are ultra cautious these days to avoid being sued by a parent of a kid who slides into a ditch.

 

[redrocker]

Lots of families and teachers book flights and get away during those breaks. Are you going to make people eat those tickets? Do you want a sub teaching for a week (probably at around $100-130/day)?

The other option is to make up days on Saturdays. Last time my school did that was quite a joke. Only about half the kids came.

You are right now I feel bad for stepping on teachers toes.

 

[tazclone]

Again, I am all for safety. Yesterday = a good day to cancel classes.

This morning while I was out the roads were far from great, but definitely not terrible. I went out a little later and the highway was actually clean and dry.

This has really been a bad winter, but they seem to pull the trigger a little more quickly than I am used oto.

Keep in mind paved roads are the first cleared and the gravels will be last. I know up here I have a friend that lives on gravel half a mile from a paved road. He can see the dry pavement and cars traveling the highway but unless he takes his loader, he can't get there in a car/truck. Not to mention the gravel roads got covered in rain that then froze.

It really is a safety issue. We have had a bus tip over and a couple get stuck. Our superintendent is known for not canceling school and we have missed about he same as you. It is what it is... a crappy winter.

 

[fccy]

No district has any specific policies. The decision to have/not have school is up to an individual in the district usually the superintendent.

True. In NC Iowa, some of the superintendents themselves go driving at 5am in the morning in order to determine for themselves what the roads are like, and thus the safety of the children. They also consult with the local law enforcement agencies in order to help determine what road conditions will be like around 7am, when buses are on the road.

The other thing to remember is that there was still a winter winter advisory issued until 10am this morning because of blowing snow. I-35 was not opened until 8:30 this morning, and the state crews would have working on that road more heavily than other state roads.

I was scheduled to be at work at 6am, but was not shocked when they delayed until 9am. I was shocked when, a little after 6, they shut down production for the day. Why? Road conditions at that time were still bad.