Photos
With reports of a possible 7 to 10 inches of the fluffy white stuff headed our way, some schools and agencies are thinking ahead, and have already called a snow day for Tuesday.
Brother Rice and Mother McAuley high schools sent word of closure Monday afternoon, and locally, Hille Middle School announced that after-school activities tomorrow are canceled.
But is it too soon for the schools to call a Snow Day?
After several snow false alarms this season, some folks aren't buying meteorologists' predictions, and think administrators might be getting ahead of themselves.
Our Facebook fans piped up about possible closings.
Richie DeVries: we never had snow days growing up, i can remember maybe 2
Valerie Neubauer Shalati: It would have to be a major blizzard for district 145 to call a snow day, they are in ISAT's for next couple of weeks.
Michael Vahl: It's not even snowing... And the way the weather people have been so accurate...I'll believe what I see. Bring on those 2 inches!!!
Beth Kinnerk McKernan: No! Tommorrow is my day off. The kids MUST go to school
Camille Colburn Hicks: McAuley did?????? They never did that when I went there!
Aileen Mullee DiTuri: Once I saw that McAuley canceled, I figured that I should get ready to have the kids home tomorrow. McAuley "never" cancels
Michelle Boger Martin: I was shocked to see a lot of schools on that list. It hasn't even started snowing yet!!!
Carrie Costello Beemsterboer: Lincoln-Way never closes! I think 2 years ago the kids had one day... But it takes a lot for these schools to close!
Kevin
5:31 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Too many times do we get predictions of a heavy snowfall accumulation, too only end up getting a small snowfall or no snowfall at all. What's wrong with making school closing decisions around 5:00am-6:00am that morning like it used to be. Once you decide the day before to cancel school there is no turning back when the weather forecast is wrong. It's a pain in the ass for parents to rearrange, call in sick or whatever to accommodate snow days. There is no reason to go through all of this for a snowstorm that missed us.
Richard DeVries
5:37 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
school boards or whoever is in charge of closing schools are a bunch of wimps. LOL.It's only a few inches. But poor johnny needs mommy to drive him in the snow and rain,lol
Kevin
5:49 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Who really needs advance notice like this? Pay attention to the weather forecast, if a snow storm is coming have plans in place so that if school is called off then you're not scrambling around that morning finding someone to watch your kids. We don't need to make school closing decisions the day before.
TC
5:52 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
As a teacher, I have been told over the years that the decision to close a school for a snow day is ultimately up to the school bus companies. If the school bus company that is contracted by the school district feels that it is near to impossible to run the bus routes due to inclement weather then typically a decision is made to close school. This is at least what I have been told and also discovered to be true in the public school system.
Kevin
5:55 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
TC, that may very well be true. My answer and comments are the same even if it's the decision of the school bus companies. No need to make this call now.
Darnell
6:33 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Knee jerk reaction to the hype brought on by the media!
Bob Laird
7:31 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Darnell, the media's doing their job. Letting us know what's coming (maybe). Better prepared than caught off guard.
Darnell
8:42 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Once again the media is over sensationalizing an accumulative snowfall and hyping it into near hysteria in the so called name of journalism and the excuse of KEEPING THE PEOPLE INFORMED!!! Weather reporting like News reporting has become nothing but Theater at it's worst!
Lauren Traut
9:14 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Call me crazy, Darnell, but I think the school districts probably base their decision on meteorologists and weather alerts from the National Weather Service, rather than the media.
Darnell
12:00 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Excuse ME Lauren and Bob, no one was denying there was going to be an accumulative snowfall. Let me repeat myself, the media over sensationalizes and dramatizes accumulative snowfalls by hyping it into near hysteria in the so called name of journalism and the excuse of KEEPING THE PEOPLE INFORMED. Report the weather. DROP the hype, sensationalism and drama! As I said, theater at it's worst! Schools cancelling before a snow flake falls? Knee jerk reaction! Gee, Shepard had school and the buses were running for them! Like we've never seen snow round these parts before?
LB
9:17 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
I'm a teacher and I leave to go to work by 6:00am daily because I must be there by 6:45am, I appreciate knowing ahead of time if I need to get up extra early to accommodate the weather or if there will be a snow day.
Kevin
5:16 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
LB: Plan ahead the night before if there is a chance school may be cancelled the next morning. Here we are at 5:15am with a slew of schools cancelled for the day and not one snowflake has fallen as of yet.
NANCY GRACE
7:07 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
It should be optional school day, if the kids go then they don't have to make it up. I enjoyed snow days growing up
LB
7:27 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
If you have an optional day it won't be made up at the end of the year because it counts as a day if attendance for both staff and students. Then you sit there with half your class missing and you can't move forward with your lessons because half your students will miss it and you'll just have to reteach it again the next day. It really puts you between a rock and a hard place because you want the maximum number of students to benefit from instruction.
Bridget
4:26 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
What I don't understand is when I was in high school (5 years ago), we RARELY got snow days. Often times, the snow was worse than what we've had these past few weeks, but we still had to come in. And they NEVER closed the school before the snow even started. Why the sudden fear of keeping schools open? I understand that the snow makes it more difficult to drive (duh), but how much harder is it now than 5+ years ago?
Mike F.
5:33 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Um, do you remember how people were stranded on Lake Shore Drive a couple of years ago? Do you seriously want your kid stranded either on a school bus or at school?
KC
5:47 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The number 1 reason schools call off is for the child's safety... stop whining. It was pretty bad out there yesterday. Sure, getting TO school would have been okay, but the commute home would have been rough. It's one day! The day will be made up. End of story.