My children are on a two hour delay this morning because of the cold temperatures. There is no snow on the ground but school is being delayed. This bugs me a little. They call school off here for snow and I have even known of one time they called school off because of very heavy rains. Now I am all about saftey precautions but these precautions are so different in so many areas. Why do they call off or delay schools in your area? What's the strangest reason you have heard them to call off school.
[question posted by JenInTN]
responses and comments:
it is natural that schools do adjust when the weather condition is not that good. there is no snow here in our country so there is no reason for delays. the only delay i saw was when it flooded in our city last september. the schools was delayed for almost three weeks. for people are busy cleaning their houses and the school was doing their own cleaning as well. [se7enthbird]
That is a good reason to have had to delay schools. Sometimes they delay opr call off the day here for reasons that I sometimes don't understand. We didn't have snow on the ground but it was frigid outside. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
Usually around here school is called off b/c of heavy snow. So far this year they haven't had to call any off but with the temps the way they have been, I think their going to be soon. ~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~ **STANDING STRONG IN MY BELIEFS** [twoey68]
They haven't called it off here yet either but we are supposed to get snow on Thursday. I guess it's because of the mountains that they call it off so easily. There may be no snow in the valley and they will still call it off. They delayed it two hours here this morning because it was so cold. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
gOOD MORNING jEN, THE ONLYREASON THEY CALL OFF SCHOOL HERE IS WHEN IT SNOWS. My neighbor is a guidance counselor at the high school & i accuse her of doing snow dances to get out of work. She's as bad or worse than the kids, lol.What's the temp there. i just called & it's 12 degrees here. brrrrr, baby it's cold outside, not my favorite weather.rolleyes [ANTIQUELADY]
Not my favorite weather either Jo. It was around 10 here...6 with the windchill I think. It was cold and there was no snow but the girls were happy to sleep in a bit when they found out school was delayed a couple of hours..lol..Thanks for responding. [JenInTN]
Flood is d main problem here, schools of my province are called off due to this main reason. In rainy season, heavy rain is also a considerable matter. Thanks. [shibham]
They called off school here a few years ago because of a flood scare but we have had a drought for a longtime until now. I can see why they would delay school if you are in an area where there is heavy rain seasons. Thanks for responding. [JenInTN]
Wow, I didn't even know you had children. That's cool. Are you married or have a boyfriend? I recall you saying you're a single parent, but I may be remembering incorrectly. Yes, our schools here have delays, sometimes due to very cold temperatures. They don't want the children to be outside in such cold weather. Also, if it snows too much they will have a delay or cancel school. Snow days are the best because then we didn't have to go to school. I was loving that when I was little in school. Hehehe. During the university they were very strict about snow days, they hardly ever canceled sad, and I only remember once when they canceled due to extreme amount of snow. Thanks for myLotting. Cheers, peace, and Happy New Year 2010 [callarse1]
You are right..I am a single parent but I do have a b/f. He is a musician. We have been together about two years now. I have pics of my girls on my home page. I am very proud..lol..I need to add some pics but I haven't had the time since I went back to school and work fulltime. I am lucky to get what I get done done..lol. Snow is a huge reason for our schools to close here too. There is often a lot more in the mountains than in the valleys but we are so close to them that there are children there that share the school zones and have much worse weather. I guess that's why they close them even though there is barely any snow. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
I live in the middle of what we call the "endless" mountains, at the top of one of those hills. Twisting winding roads are pretty much all we have, and in ice & snow, busses can't navigate very well, so they either delay the opening time or call off. We also have "built in" snow make up days in our school calendar, if they don't get used, the kids get out a few days earlier for summer break. The funniest call off for me was in my junior year of HS, in Pennsylvania. There was a big hurricane coming up the coast towards our small town. The called off school, and it only drizzled!lol [JodiLynn]
LOL..they have called off schools here for predicted snow that never came too. I live in a pretty mountainous area too but our weather is a bit milder than yours. We have not had a huge blizzard since maybe 93. There are always more in the mountains though. I live next to them in the valley. Their roads are a lot more treacherous than mine are. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
There are no strange reasons to delay or not open our schools. I feel the snow is a great reason to close down the schools.. As well as freezing temps. it is not good to send kids out when they can get so cold they can't make it. Many parents let smaller kids walk to school alone too. That would be just terrible to read about in the paper. [giftsandbagscom]
I agree that snow is a good reason. Our children here are picked up by the busses at their door. It would be tragic for a child to walk to school in such cold temperatures. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
I heard a couple of schools here called off today because of a broken or non working heating system. A few years ago a friends grandaughter was sent home from school because the principal and two of the teachers had all called in sick and also over half of her class was out sick. They sure sent her home with a heck of alot of homework though.lol [muscles4me]
There have been schools called off here earlier in the year because of the swine flu scare...or outbreak...whichever it was. Isn't it amazing how much homework they send home when they have to be out..lol..They send alot home when they actually go too. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
Schools have been closed here for various reasons - one of which is snow on the ground - or the threat of snow. I know that sounds funny but in the other district, they serve kids in an area where when inclement weather occurs, the buses cannot get to some of the kids. They have cancelled school because of that. I think my kids' high school was closed due to heavy rain/flooding a few times, but here floods can happen quickly, the ground doesn't soak up anything and there are not regular storm drains everywhere because this is a desert. It doesn't rain much here so when it does, all sorts of bad things can happen. School has been closed or kids released early due to smoke from fires. I imagine that schools here might also be closed if they had a problem with the heating or cooling system, as right now it's about 31 degrees outside, and in the summer it can hit triple digits. I wouldn't say any of these are really strange reasons, but I do remember thinking it was a bummer to have school closed when SOME of the kids didn't have snow. I think it's a district decision, not an individual school decision though, and it's based on the percentage of kids who live in the affected areas, as well as the borders of the district. When my kids went to that school, we were inter-district transfer, meaning they were attending a school that wasn't our home district. [mommyboo]
I bet the rain can cause a lot of havoc in your area. Children that live in more affected areas really do have a influence on the schools and their schedule. There are mountains on all sides of us and there are children that at times are not able to be reached. The weather is more extreme where they are at in the higher elevations. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
Power outage is the most common, but also weather, many of our kids come from the mountain areas and it's sometimes impossible to pick them up and if bad weather happens while they are in school it can be very difficult to get them back home. A bear up a Tree is probably the most strange [savypat]
LOL..a bear in a tree huh? That is strange..lol..It is the same here for the children that live in the higher elevations. It's amazing the difference in the weather. Thanks for responding. [JenInTN]
When we lived in a rural area school got called off for heavy rain, ice, or snow. I remember once school closed early because it was supposed to snow really bad and then it ended up not snowing at all. All the time we have lived in the city my son's school has never closed for any weather. [lilybug]
It amazes me that in the northern areas there are hardly any delays and they have a LOT of snow. I guess they are more prepared for it. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
I havent seen them once here call off school. I would think tho, if the power does go out and they are unable to heat the school then they d have to call it off. [sbviper]
Wow! Never? I could see how a power outage could cause them to call it off. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
It is for insurance purposes. People are so sue happy these days that anything that might cause an issue to be sued, makes the schools do this. [nanajanet]
That makes sense. I could see how a school could want to protect themselves from liability if there was an incident that they could have prevented. People are ready for that kind of thing. Thanks for the input. [JenInTN]
No school until tomorrow, still winter break. But the only two times here that they have canceled school was 1) when there was a toxic fume thing and 2) our 2 snow days. And it wasn't all that much snow, but we aren't used to it here. [dawnald]
I know there were some pretty serious slides along the coast a few years back, in the Ventura area. [dawnald]
That's a new one. Our schools hardly ever close. Usually there has to be about a foot of snow on the ground and still falling before our schools close. That's the Northeast for ya. Now in North Carolina where a relative of mine lives, they close schools as soon as they hear about snow. rolleyes [Shar19]
I know! My b/f is from Indiana and he says they never closed school there. I guess they are more prepared for bad weather than places that hardly get it. It's pretty flat there too compared to here. Here there are mountains to brave in the bad weather..lol. Thanks for responding. [JenInTN]
Hello my friend happy Happy New Year. I live in the city and that rarely happens here if at all, they have so many ways of getting around I guess they feel as long as you don't have to drive and you can take the train or bus then you can get there, sometimes I want delays or days off when the weather is really bad, you watch the news they name every other place but here it pisses me off lol I do know what you mean, if you can get them there they should be able to go, some places do this really often I see it alot on the news. Thats funny you don't want it and I do, lets trade places lol Smoochesssss [kitty42]
Hi kitty! Happy New Year to you too! It is funny. I don't think that they shoulds have to go under extreme conditions but there have been times when the schools here have been closed and there not be any real weather. Maybe just preperation for weather. I guess better safe than sorry. It does make it had for parents that have to be at work. My girls aren't so little anymore but it would make it really hard for me if they were sometimes. Thanks for responding. [JenInTN]
Hi Jen, well the usual reason that school is cancelled is for a teachers strike, which they usually take on a Friday or a Monday to get an extra long weekend in. We do know the day before though. The only reason they ever closed the school during the day was when there was a small earthquake on the opposite coast and they were worried that an aftershock might have a knock on effect. [thea09]
That's a pretty good reason. An aftershock could be really nasty. I can't remember the teachers ever going on strike here but that would get them a long weekend for sure..Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
The schools here have been delayed in the past when its been so cold after a holiday that it took a few extra hours to warm up the buildings. [ElicBxn]
I remember when that happened and people were coming to work late because they hadn't any other arrangement for the kids until they went to school. boy were they mad! remember, I don't have kids so the only reason I knew about it beforehand was because I heard it on the radio! [ElicBxn]
Here they have called off school because of snow and a few times delay starting time because a very dense fog the school buses could not go and pickup the children for school until the fog lifted a little so they could see at least a quarter of a mile down the road. [happy6162]
Fog can be a very nasty weather condititon. I have been at a crawl before trying to get to work in that stuff. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
Not in my city but nearby in a smaller farming community they closed the school because so many kids were sick and absent. Can you believe it? I couldn't! Usually they do if we have alot of snow or other adverse weather conditions but never have they closed a school because of sickness. It wasn't during the N1H1 flu either. [celticeagle]
This was probably the same thing. [celticeagle]
calling off school is not practice [jpg143ak]
You are in an area in which school is never delayed or called off? [JenInTN]
Hi Jenin, Happy New Year to you.happy My son's school is closed for winter vacation and some other schools finished their winter vacation but again closed due to cold temperature. Here there is not much rain but normally in winter kids get some more vacation. The main reason for calling off school is the cold climate. [Sreekala]
I think that here there are a certain amount of "snow" days calculated into the school year and if they don't use them for snow, they can use them for other things. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
Hi Jen, I remembered when the school called off last September in our area as if it was just yesterday. School was off for 2 weeks. It was due to the devastation brought by the worst tropical storm our country ever had. Classes were suspended to give way to some public schools to serve as Evacuation Centers for families affected by flood. It took 2 weeks before the schools were cleaned up from muds and other flood-related disasters. I only wish that would be the last... sad [margaux08]
I hope that is the last my friend. I hate to hear you were exposed to such awful weather conditions. I wish you the best. Take care. [JenInTN]
I think the school systems in your area are just being precautious, ours are as well. On a different note, the schools in my county went back a day later then other counties for a "environmental day" not sure exactly what that was for. In any case, Snow or ice seems to be why school is called off or delayed around here. [SomeCowgirl]
You mentioned that in your discussion, I mean about the rain, I was wondering what time of year it was, as just rain, though very heavy, shouldn't be a problem. The only thing I could see happen in that case is that they ask all parents to pick up their children instead of having bus routes. I think that happened back in grade school for me. I went to school in a different county then my husband, we hardly seemed to have delays, though I guess kids never think there's enough delays or closings. I think my husband had more delays then we did only because of the difference in road types. I went to school in an urban county, hubby went to school in a rural county. There was one time that a student wrecked and was killed because of the wreck and so the super intendant decided to be more careful that next year, and the delays and closings were aplenty then. [SomeCowgirl]
They call off school here for bad weather, such as you stated...never heavy rain, that I can remember. Ice storms, heavy snow, deep snow, fog, VERY cold temperatures, Electrical outages (one time, as a teacher, I got all the way to school before I knew that the power was out there and they had closed for the day. Luckily it was only a few minutes away.) and a couple of times some in the area have closed when a high percent of the students had the flu or other illness. [idowrite72]
That's the way it is here but I don't think our weather is has been quite as extreme as it is in your area. At least not over the past few years. Thanks for the response. [JenInTN]
Yes the phenomenon you mentioned are common in my country, according to my experience there are about 3 kind of reasons to call off of a school. 1. Bad weather as you said, example snowstorm; 2. Disasters, for instance earthquake, floods etc; 3. Some diseases which is ease to spread, like H1N1, SARS. [StevenZhu]
Thanks, as I was a student, the most exciting thing was the announce of call of school, that meant we had time to play and relax. [StevenZhu]
Our school is always the last to close for are area. they're afraid to use the snow days, the max allowed is 5 snow days. We'vw had one cancellation this past Friday because of the snow and ice.I think if the temperature is under 5 degrees they may. One time the school was closed for two weeks and school had just started but we had flooding in the area,very rare here, and the town was without water for a few days ,some houses,cars had got swept away,not real strange considering. This was about 4 or 5 years ago. [stormygrl]
The school system here also allows for a certain amount of snow days too. My girls have actually had to go to school a little later in the summer to make up for extra days that was taken throughout the year. Thanks for responding. [JenInTN]
Of course living in Perth Western Australia snow is never a problem! When I was a kid we used to be sent home from school if the weather got too hot! It doesn't happen these days because the classrooms are actually air conditioned unlike in my days! I can appreciate how it would be annoying if the school closures and delays varied from school to school for no apparent reason. [paula27661]
With no air conditioning and in your area..I could see why they would call it off. The children here go to school in majority the fall and winter months..so heat is not usually a problem. Thanks for the input. [JenInTN]
When I was living in Orange and Los Angeles counties, school was never delayed or closed due to weather conditions. Now I'm in El Dorado County up in Northern California and here they have closed the school due to snow. I think it depends on the area. [libby2009]
Did someone say mountains? My home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [libby2009]