[Blessings2You]

Oh goody, controversy! Our local schools proactively canceled for tomorrow (the decision was made Friday) because the forecast is -30 tonight, wind chill -42, and tomorrow during the day a wind chill of down to -47.

Personally, I thought it was a prudent choice. I'm surprised this morning (should I be?) at how many local friends are sputtering that it's a silly decision, that when THEY were kids, they just bundled up and went to school.

Hmmm.

I've already managed to annoy a couple of my friends by suggesting that they didn't have seat belts or indoor plumbing when they were kids, either.

I'm thinking that if something tragic happened, some of those same people would be shaking their fists and demanding someone sue the socks of the supervisory union for not canceling school. What think you all?

[Dejibo]

In north dakota they allow OUTSIDE recess unless the temp is below zero. (not the wind chill) and kids will go to school. In my local area once the wind chill hits -30 they consider closing. its too risky for frostbite to get the little ones too and fro.

I think it totally depends on where you live and what your area is accustomed to. Like ND if you are rugged and expect such weather, its just anther day in paradise. If you like in KY and are not used to such things, of course they need to worry.

I remember trudging to school with snow up to my waist, and no one to escort us, cause the bus wasnt running, and we needed to get there. Of course I was less than 4 feet tall, so 2 foot of snow fall was half my height! We used to be turned out at dawn, and told to be back when the street lights came on. We didnt have bus monitors, or security guards on each corner to protect us from ourselves. Today its expensive to get a kid to the school because they need transportation, a monitor, a cheerleader, a lunch lady, and an advisor followed by a body guard and a security detail. This is expensive and the kid hasnt touched a single piggy on school grounds yet.

[kicker]

I used to be in wonderment at how often Howard County Maryland called School's Out or delayed openings, but realized they are dependent on busing and kids having to wait in cold, 7:00 darkness for my High Schools. Mom would have called a sick day for them on those days if she had to. Now I wake and see 7'clock darkness and am glad they're sound asleep at college, going to class when the sun is up.

[Blessings2You]

When my son was in first grade (1976?) I was in a casual conversation with one of the teachers here. At some point she was complaining because "some parents" expected her to "make sure my kid has his hat on" or "make sure she wears her mittens". I'll always remember her comment that "We're teachers, not babysitters".

Really? When I first put my daughter on the bus to kindergarten, she was still FOUR YEARS OLD!

Okay. Even knowing that the woman was speaking for herself and not necessarily the rest of the teachers, or perhaps even ANY of the others, from then on I kept my kids home when it was "dangerously cold" and they didn't cancel school.

[legzzalot]

Remembering the bus slipping and sliding trying to make it up a hill after my daughter was on it... it scared the carp out of me. I am all for kids going to school but not if it means putting their safety in jeopardy to save a snow day.

This is a lot easier for me to say now that I am a stay at home mom. But I am also the mom who volunteers to babysit for the neighbors when school is out.

[SallyC]

Didn't we always say that we wouldn't let our kids suffer the way we did, when we were kids? I know I did, so when the weather was bitter cold, icy, deep snow or even too hot, I would keep my dearones home. That did not happen too often, but it did happen.

[Kitty]

The schools were closed for an entire week earlier this month (when we had the big snow/ice event). We didn't even get mail delivery for that whole week. Trash pickup didn't happen either. Thank goodness our power didn't go out!

There was such a public uproar about the lack of services during this storm. People were furious because garbage sat on the street for a week. People were mad because day cares were closed and so were the schools and they couldn't get to work. They wanted to blame someone. Some were even picketing the trash pickup company's offices because they thought they wouldn't get a refund or credit for the missed week of trash pickup (it works out to about $7 ). Why are folks so inflexible? Yes, it was a surprise to us all and nobody expected the entire city to shut down for a week but it happened.

Now there is a group who want to fire all the Georgia DOT head honchos and contract out the snow/ice removal to private companies so next time we'll be ready. Do private companies trucks drive on ice better than government trucks do? Me thinks some folks have too much time on their hands.

[legzzalot]

Well, private companies trucks darn sure get paid more! And if the trash service were running in the ice and snow and if they hit a patch of ice and slammed into someone's car you can imagine the fallout. Think they are mad now.

[Kitty]

There's just no pleasin' these folks. They gotta have something to complain about or they're not happy.

[legzzalot]

Hey kitty, how about we give them our MS? THEN they can have something to complain about. Especially in the waist high snow!