Northern Virginia Hit By Blizzard of A Tenth Of An Inch Of Snow . . . Schools Close

Ok, I admit that I can be a broken record about snow phobia in Virginia and the inability of drivers to cope with a single flake of the white stuff without creating piles of burning wrecks. However, my four children will be staying home today because of the snow. I had to actually go outside to see it but it is there — a dusting of the stuff but enough to shutdown one of the largest school districts in the country.

I honestly cannot remember school closings in Chicago growing up. I am sure that they happened (though University of Chicago had a reputation for never closing), but they were so few that they were not a big part of growing up. We did not have buses and walked to school regardless of the snow. (Ok, I know that sounds like your annoying parents of how tough life was growing up). More importantly, everyone learned to drive on the snow — a few basic rules like not to slam on the brakes on ice.

Fairfax is shellshocked after it decided not to even delay school recently in the midst of a snow storm with icy road. The kids and parents started a social media frenzy — making #closefcps the most popular hashtag of the day. The problem was not the snow but frantic, non-snow driving Virginia who seemed to rush into their cars to plow into ditches or each other in the annual Hunger Game carnage that is winter driving in McLean. I drove the kids and their friends to school and watched in amazement as a man in a luxury sedan did a 360 spins twice in the middle of the intersection. What was really impressive is that he stayed on his cell phone chatting as he spanned in circles next to my van.

A couple days later the school closed for cold temperatures (no snow). Now, it has closed due to a literal dusting of snow. No wonder this is a region of snow phobics. They are raised where the scene below requires all classes and programs to be cancelled for public safety.