Too cold for school?

[KLoISU02]

No they didn't...here's a list of all the schools just in SE MN who did not have school. Postbulletin.com: Rochester, MN

Also, I remember being an 8th grader or so...around 1998, and the governor of MN called off school for the entire state. I believe it -40 with wind chill, which was WARMER than it was supposed to be today. Just throwing that out there.

It's colder in MN and they all had school today.

 

[cloneu]

It's colder in MN and they all had school today.

Most schools around Rochester are closed. At least the newspaper website says they are.

 

[c.y.c.l.o.n.e.s]

I thought they said on the news last night that today was going to be the coldest day in 16 years?

KCCI said coldest day in DM since 1996. I think they said that the coldest night ever (actual temp) in Iowa was 30 below back in 1886. They also said that it got down to 27 below in Clinton so it was almost the coldest night ever in Iowa.

Can you imagine what it must have been like trying to keep warm in 1886? BRRRR!

Edit: Ooops, just found that the coldest recorded temp in Iowa was -47.

But today was the coldest day ever in Cedar Rapids....

Coldest Day Ever

January 15, 2009 12:18 pm R.D. Walker
That is what we had here this morning. The coldest day ever recorded for Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

CEDAR RAPIDS - People living in Cedar Rapids can say the weather has shown them another first. 29 degrees below zero. That all-time record was reached at 7:51am Thursday Morning as daily record lows were broken in many eastern Iowa cities. The previous all-time record low for Cedar Rapids was 28 below zero last reached on January 12, 1974.
​

Wind chils reached 57 degrees below this morning.

 

[anticyclonic]

Algona did not have school today. Brother is at home.

Algona per ticker last night some others might be closed as well.

I thought they said on the news last night that today was going to be the coldest day in 16 years?

coldest since 1996, 13 yrs.

 

[IcSyU]

Algona per ticker last night some others might be closed as well.

I'm just saying...I know they didn't have school today because I've been talking to my brother throughout the day because he didn't have school for the 3,103rd day in a row.

 

[jtd9046]

No they didn't...here's a list of all the schools just in SE MN who did not have school. Postbulletin.com: Rochester, MN

I was talking about the Metro area where the majority of the population is. They had school today from what I was told.

I'm not making an argument for or against. Was just throwing in a comment.

 

[anticyclonic]

I'm just saying...I know they didn't have school today because I've been talking to my brother throughout the day because he didn't have school for the 3,103rd day in a row.

Of all places I could understand where they shouldn't have school is in northern IA especially where is it a lot colder/windier than down here, not DSM metro area. I applaud the rural schools.

 

[flynnhicks03]

It was cold, but my god!!!! Put on some clothes and its really not that nad

Unfortunately, some kids don't have much for winter coats/hats/gloves. One of my wife's kid showed up in just a sweatshirt yesterday (5th grader).

 

[Palmer]

Unfortunately, some kids don't have much for winter coats/hats/gloves. One of my wife's kid showed up in just a sweatshirt yesterday (5th grader).

exactly.

that is why the suburbs followed Des Moines public school's lead.

 

[Cydkar]

What does it hurt by not having school today? Saved tons of money and possibly one life or lots of frostbite.

 

[CloneFan03]

I had to be out in it for several hours last night -16 in southern Iowa with a bit of wind, you bundle up it is all you can do. I couldn't get inside just out of the wind at times.

In 1996, the kids in Des Moines went to school and it was a hell of a lot colder than this. From late January to early Feb, 1996 it never got got above zero (5 to 6 days in a row), in fact the coldest morning was something like -26 or so in Des Moines -35 in the Central Iowa, with the other mornings roughly as cold if not colder than last night-they went to school!!!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely can understand ice or a heavy snow or if the roads are still really really bad, but many are dry. According to the ticker, they were going to School in Algona and other points up north. If we had a long streak of cold like 96 (can still happen this winter) don't plan on taking a vacation until July, the kids won't be out of school until then.

You being an adult are able to handle cold weather better than 6-10 year olds, especially in some of the lower SES neighborhoods who don't have as much warm clothing and have to walk to get to school becasue their parents don't care about their safety.

When I was student teaching in Cedar Rapids I had kids coming to school when it was 30 degrees out without coats or hats becasue their parents said it was warm enough for them. YOUR kids and many other kids would probably get to school safely, but some kids would absolutely suffer.

 

[iowajazz]

It's colder in MN and they all had school today.

isd#361 | welcome

Know what you're talking about.

 

[cyclonez7]

Apparently I don't have school tomorrow either because of "weather issues".

 

[Iastfan112]

When semis are stalling on the highways because of the temps, I think it is better to error on the side of caution. Imagine if that was a bus load of kids.

I imagine that in most cases, they'd fire up another bus and get the kids picked up 15-30 minutes later(I had it happen to me as a kid). If your a suburban or urban school you should have had school today in my opinion. Rural districts I can understand not doing so.

 

[CloneFan03]

What does it hurt by not having school today? Saved tons of money and possibly one life or lots of frostbite.

Exactly!

 

[cyclonez7]

It's not like people don't have coats or gloves or that stuff. People need to learn to bundle up and then they won't have to call school for this.

 

[IcSyU]

I imagine that in most cases, they'd fire up another bus and get the kids picked up 15-30 minutes later(I had it happen to me as a kid). If your a suburban or urban school you should have had school today in my opinion. Rural districts I can understand not doing so.

You have to have a driver and a bus ready first. I know our drivers have to pick up their buses and didn't have them just sitting out in their driveways when I was in school a couple years ago. Plus, 15-30 minutes later in these conditions could be deadly for very young kids.

 

[CloneFan03]

I imagine that in most cases, they'd fire up another bus and get the kids picked up 15-30 minutes later(I had it happen to me as a kid). If your a suburban or urban school you should have had school today in my opinion. Rural districts I can understand not doing so.

The Urban schools are more likely to have the lower SES kids who don't have the hats/gloves and coats to handle this type of weather. Is it better to have all the kids at home and safe in weather like this or have their parents send them to walk to school w/o the right clothing on and come to school with frostbite or worse?

Having prevented this from happening to just one kid is well worth it.

 

[IcSyU]

It's not like people don't have coats or gloves or that stuff. People need to learn to bundle up and then they won't have to call school for this.

Not all do though...a lot of people (myself included) take it for granted and there are kids out there who don't have them.

 

[CloneFan03]

It's not like people don't have coats or gloves or that stuff. People need to learn to bundle up and then they won't have to call school for this.

Not everyone can afford it. Head to some of the rougher schools in the urban areas of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, etc

Your from Coralville? Head to Kirkwood Elementary and you will see what I am talking about...