Dang It, Snow Again. There Goes Spring Break.

Two hour delay. Snow day. We’re losing spring break days. Where will it end? When I was a kid they didn’t close schools until the snow was up to my knees.
We lost four days in a row last week. We’ve had several 2 hour delays and at least one 1 hour delay. A letter sent to me offers some alternatives.
One suggestion was to establish a snow route bus schedule with many fewer stops. Say, Putnam School and the Hasty Shopper to cover all of Devola. It’s up to Little Johnny to get to one of these two stops.
Which works fine for all those who can make it, but would result in unusually high absences for those who could not make it. But the writer has a solution for that.
If Little Mary lives way out, or is unable to make it to one of the appointed stops, and 80 or 90 percent of students can get to school, let’s have class. Then the administration and teachers could work with the Little Marys when they do return to get the missed work and make up important tests.
This sounds good until one ponders the teacher’s dilemma when the absent students return and now he/she must work at two or more levels depending on how many students missed what lessons and what to do with those who were in attendance and are ready to move on. Educator’s nightmare.
The writer then criticizes delays as being a dodge to avoid using one of the allotted calamity days. Here again, failing to take the bigger picture into consideration.
Those delays allow road crews to get out and work on dangerous areas. They give sun and traffic time to soften up the ice and snow and make it safer for later traffic. And they allow us to have classes without missing the total day when it is just the early travel that may have been dangerous.
Ironically, the letter arrived the day before a bus was hit head on by a truck sliding on ice and crossing the center line. Fortunately, it appears no serious injuries resulted.
On that day a one hour delay was in effect. Had it been a two hour delay, perhaps that icy patch would have been worn off or sanded and salted into oblivion. I would suggest the truck might not have been there but the driver was a student with a one hour delay. Perhaps a two hour delay would just have put the two vehicles in the same place an hour later.
The author offered that it’s a tough world out there, and we should provide some adversity and commitment training by having school every day except in the very worst of weather. He began his views by admonishing me to not “hide behind the school bus safety excuse”.
On the heels of the accident, I’m opting for safety over boldness every time. As will Superintendent, Mr. Young, who once worked in a district where they didn’t consider closings until the snow was 11 inches deep. But they had the equipment to handle it up to that point. We do not. And the crews servicing the roads locally are getting a later start and have less sand and salt owing to both budget and supply shortfalls.
The writer fails to address the liability issues created if we get more aggressive while surrounding districts remain cautious and then we have an accident. Should we not have known it was dangerous? Won’t look good in court. Come to think of it, I had shorter knees back then.