Too cold for school?

[anticyclonic]

The issue with kids not having heavy enough coats, gloves, or hats is a bad deal, we have a lot of poverty here in south central iowa and I have seen it, the economy is worsening the problem. I have given to local charities to help with this but perhaps buying hats, gloves, and coats but giving to the schools might be a better approach. I don't want to see these kids outside without proper clothing and it doesn't have to be below zero, it could just be 32 above.

 

[mred]

A couple points:

1. The overnight low usually happens right around dawn. In Cedar Rapids this morning, the overnight low of -29 happened just before 8AM when kids would normally be on their way to school.

2. State law (Iowa Code 285.1) only requires school districts to provide transportation for elementary school students who live more than two miles from school and high school students who live more than three miles from school. Inner-city areas are usually populated densely enough that many (if not most) students fall inside that range, and those are the students that are also more likely to have no alternate means of transportation.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

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

Not everyone. One person I work with at the U of Mn said his kids were loving this week because no school Tuesday and none again today.

 

[cyclonedcm]

It's always too cold for school.

 

[CycloneErik]

I bet Bo Williams went to class today.

I bet class went to Bo Williams.

 

[CycloneErik]

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

Does the lil' goat stay inside for the winter, or graze in the yard?

 

[mymanfreddie]

cold as hell. that's funny

 

[Clone96]

Wow, really? I was watching the ticker last night, and all of the big schools-urban and suburban are closed today due to the cold, not bad weather just the cold. WHAT??????????

People are becoming soft. I listened to the Ankeny Superintendent last night and he gave a very politically correct protect-put everyone in a plastic bubble answer. Guess what, probably 80% of the small rural schools are open today (with a typical 2 hr delay) even in northern Iowa where it is 10-15 degrees colder than Des Moines.

Can we all start the story (Cue grumpy old man voice) .... "when I was your age, days like this were the best days of winter. And I had to walk 25 miles to school. Uphill. Both ways. That's the way it was and we liked it. And if we complained, the old man would take me out behind the wood shed and give me what for. Ah, this young generation....."

 

[Iastfan112]

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.

The bus doesn't instantly go from 60-70 to -10, it takes time and would probably only start getting cold after 15 minutes or so. After it stops running the driver would call it in and you get picked up 20 minutes later the kids being none the worse off. It happened to me while I was a kid and it wasn't a big deal, hey it was actually pretty cool as I missed 15 minutes of my first class. And yes I was part of a district(Fort Dodge to be precise) that had to go to a central yard to pick up buses.

 

[everyyard]

Wow, really? I was watching the ticker last night, and all of the big schools-urban and suburban are closed today due to the cold, not bad weather just the cold. WHAT??????????

People are becoming soft. I listened to the Ankeny Superintendent last night and he gave a very politically correct protect-put everyone in a plastic bubble answer. Guess what, probably 80% of the small rural schools are open today (with a typical 2 hr delay) even in northern Iowa where it is 10-15 degrees colder than Des Moines.

Having school when it is that cold would be stupid. You must not have kids. I sure as hell wouldn't want my daughter stuck outside if a bus broke down. There are many stupid parents who would send their kids unproperly clothed to walk to school or stand outside. Guess what, probably 80% of the small rural schools were closed today in central Iowa. Northeast Iowa schools and parents must either be more stupid or care about their kids less.

 

[tigershoops31]

At my district I can tell you that MANY students come without an actual coat regularly all winter. A good portion of these don't own a winter coat, while others just have parents that don't bother to make sure their child is dressed appropriately. I have actually had more than one student this year whose parents allowed them to come in shorts with the temperature in the teens :no: As teachers we try to help these kids out when we can by bringing coats from home, and the school keeps a few sets of coats/long pants for these kinds of things, but that doesn't help the kids when they're out at the bus-stop on the way to school.

FWIW, I heard that ISU was ready to call off all classes when it was -21 this morning, but on his way to class Bo Williams passed gas on central campus and the temperature hit 0 within moments. To Bo Williams!

 

[clonefan98]

Northeast Iowa schools and parents must either be more stupid or care about their kids less.

Wow, that is painting with a pretty broad brush.

 

[alaskaguy]

Anyone familiar with the University of Fairbanks? They don't cancel classes on account on the temperature, and the temp can get in the minus 60 degree range there.

In addition, grade school and even recess was not canceled where I formerly lived; Nome, Alaska. The kids didn't seem to complain either.

One final note more people die of heat than all other weather related incidences (hurricanes, tornados, cold, etc.).

 

[hobbsfan27]

3rd day in a row!!

 

[CyCy]

I can remember one day when I walked from Towers to the Chem Building for an 8:00 class when it was -16 degrees and the instructor didn't show.

Oh well, enough about the good old days.

 

[lakeliving]

Anyone familiar with the University of Fairbanks? They don't cancel classes on account on the temperature, and the temp can get in the minus 60 degree range there.

In addition, grade school and even recess was not canceled where I formerly lived; Nome, Alaska. The kids didn't seem to complain either.

One final note more people die of heat than all other weather related incidences (hurricanes, tornados, cold, etc.).

In Iowa hopefully the weather is not like this constantly, thus easier to cancel classes and error on the side of caution. If the temperature is consistantly extremely cold, you gain nothing by cancelling classes. Not sure comparing Alaska temperatures to Iowa temperatures (most often) is a fair basis of comparison.

 

[cstrunk]

Well, it was cold today (still is), but I still have all my toes and fingers.

 

[isuno1fan]

Kids should have been in school today in Waukee (where I am).

 

[illinoiscyclone]

illinois state university doesnt have class tomorrow.

 

[cmoneyr]

Kids should have been in school today in Waukee (where I am).

Did your daughter do fine outside at 7am this morning?