Clearly Fairfax County School officials do not watch our scientific polling. While our polls shows (at the time of this posting) over 94 percent of readers criticizing the decision to cancel classes over cold that ranged from 8 to 18 degrees, Just as a follow up . . . I was just notified that the Fairfax County officials have ordered a two-hour delay for the morning. That is a delay ordered for a day with a projected temperature of a low of 25 and high of 32. There is no snow or icy roads.
I will note again that the Arlington schools opened today after a slight delay and the Washington DC schools and Alexandria opened without a delay. These districts are all within the same ten mile radius.
At 6pm, the following message came through to parents:
A message from FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
All Fairfax County public schools will open two hours late on Wednesday, January 8. Offices will open on time.
Morning preschool (special education) classes are canceled.
Afternoon preschool (special education) classes start on their regular schedule.
Full-day preschool (special education) and Family and Early Childhood Education Program/Head Start classes start two hours later than the regular schedule.
Morning field trips are canceled.
SACC centers will be open by 7:15 a.m.
Morning transportation for high school academy classes is canceled. Afternoon transportation for academy classes will still be provided.
Adult and community education classes will start on time.
Weather delays and cancellations continue to be a bizarre controversy in Fairfax where parents are constantly left scratching their heads over these decisions, including some days with a light dusting of snow. These decisions are made with little apparent thought for the impact on families, particularly parents who have to show up to work late or miss work. It has little impact on my family because my teaching schedule allows me to take up any slack if Leslie cannot cover it. However, I can imagine the hardship for single parents and lower income families in rushing around to cover such changes.
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Children sometimes spend up to a half hour waiting at a bus stop for the school bus. With the wind chill factored in, temperatures in some places felt -20F or even lower. I don’t know about this particular school district, but perhaps that was their worry.
mespo727272
Dredd:
“Are the schools, some of them, worried about liability? Are insurance companies involved?”
***********************
Liability is a non-issue as Virginia protects school boards, teachers, and most other school personnel under the Doctrine of Sovereign Immunity. That also goes for school bus drivers whom the Va Supreme Court says are engaging in a protected governmental function in transporting students. Only in rare situations are school employees liable, i.e. gross negligence. The best interests of the kids are the schools paramount concerns despite the usual contrary propaganda.
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Thanks mespo727272.
Once upon a time the Earth was flat, causing the stars and planets to orbit around it, because it was also the center of the universe.
Weather on the flat Earth was stable, in that, it was always either winter, summer, fall, or spring at the same time on the vast flatness.
Then the Earth was changed into a globe by librul scientists.
So, all those planets went into orbit around stars like our Sun, and now even stars are no longer orbiting the Earth.
Additionally, ever since the Earth became no longer flat, instead becoming a globe orbiting the Sun, there has been both summer and winter at the same time on Earth.
For example, now as we speak “it” has been threating to become 125 deg. F. (50 deg. C) in Australia, while “it” is super cold at the very same time on the flat lands in the U.S. Midwest.
Libruls have made it difficult for some to “get it” now, because “it” is summer near Antarctica and “it” is winter in Kansas at the same time.
NeoCon school admins can’t even figure “it” out.
Darren,
Don’t forget that the walk uphill was in our barefeet! 🙂
Possibly the true, and sensible, explanation is that one or more of the schools in that district have a heating system that cannot maintain adequate temperature during particularly cold weather. The overnight low in the DC area (my house) was 7°F. Maybe they expect with a 2-hour delay that the ambient temperature will have increased enough that they can open the deficient buildings.
And if a bus skids on black ice and injures or G-d forbid children die, then you and the others will be saying “Why didh’t they close the schools or have a late opening so the sun and hopefully warmer air melts the slick spots?”
Dredd:
“Are the schools, some of them, worried about liability? Are insurance companies involved?”
***********************
Liability is a non-issue as Virginia protects school boards, teachers, and most other school personnel under the Doctrine of Sovereign Immunity. That also goes for school bus drivers whom the Va Supreme Court says are engaging in a protected governmental function in transporting students. Only in rare situations are school employees liable, i.e. gross negligence. The best interests of the kids are the schools paramount concerns despite the usual contrary propaganda.
What mespo said….
The question is what do when the decision is made to cancel school. Policy should be that when school is canceled and you are force to stay home, class begins on the computer at the normal time. This is called home schooling. Especially since they won’t be able to sled because snowfall is a thing of the past. It’s just cold thats all.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/snowfalls-are-now-just-a-thing-of-the-past-724017.html
Are the schools, some of them, worried about liability? Are insurance companies involved?
This is the reason all schools should have video conferencing available where teachers and students can have classes while not being in the class due to Force Majeure.
We have the means to do that.
The schools are not the default babysitter. Parents bear the obligation of supervising their kids when school is not in session despite their job duties. If the school decides it’s too dangerous for the kids to be waiting at bus stops or to be transported to schools, the parents should rejoice that the kids’ safety is being considered over other — less important — concerns.
Much ado about nada.
They are wise to do so. It’s not a great idea. They are putting kids at risk and will be held responsible if anything happens. Who cares what a poll says?
If schools like these close due to weather so easily, how can we teach our children important skills they need for their future. Like telling grandchildren how they walked in three feet of snow, uphill both ways?