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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > February > 20 > Entry
Was it bad enough to close school Wednesday?
(Matthew Weisbrodt, 8, shovels his grandmother’s Fairfield driveway Wednesday after getting a day off of school due to the weather)
Three winters ago, my family spent an academic year in Ann Arbor, Mich. It turned out to be the city’s snowiest winter ever — nearly 80 inches of snow! Just imagine if every two or three inch snowstorm we got this year was eight inches. That’s what it was like.
But the funny thing is I can’t recall the school district taking many snow days. There were probably a couple of them, but I don’t think they were threating to go over their alloted five days. (Ann Arbor schools is a mid-sized city district serving about the same number of kids as Dayton Public Schools.)
Today, with three or so inches of snow, most area school districts called off school (not Dayton, by the way). As I drove to work today, I kept thinking “this closed school?” It didn’t seem that bad to me.
In Michigan, they just seemed to have a different attitude about winter weather. Granted they get more of it and it’s worse than here. But, for instance, my daughter’s school up there was constantly reminding us to send the kids to school dressed warmly, with snow pants, on cold days because they were going outside for recess no matter what.
I don’t think they’ve had outdoor recess once at my daugther’s school in Kettering since Jan. 1.
What do you think, are we wimps? Should kids have gone to school Wednesday?
(On a related note, I should mention the Dayton school board on Tuesday did indeed approved a plan to shorten spring break to make up for using too many calamity days.)
(Image credit: Greg Lynch, Cox News Service)
Permalink | Comments (26) | Categories: Teaching and Learning
Comments
By null
February 26, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this
DPS teacher…”It is almost as if they are intentionally sabotaging us”…assumes that they think. You are giving them too much credit!!! Keep up the good work. Some of know how hard you work and how dedicated you are.By laura
February 26, 2008 6:35 PM | Link to this
dpsteacher, I agree that too many children do not come to school on inclement days, but in reality, they won’t come on the days scheduled to make them up, either. I only had 2 students absent that day and some classes had 100% attendance. It all depends on the parents.By dps teacher
February 26, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this
I’m intrigued to see that no one has brought the concern I have regarding snow days. When Dayton decides to reamin open (while nearly EVERY other district closes), it has a TREMENDOUS effect on our attendance. We are working ourselves to the bone to increase our test scores. On days like Wednesday, our children do not come to school, and it hinders our ability to meet AYP. It is almost as if they are intentionally sabotaging us.By laura
February 25, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this
Lou, I am going by what the teachers at the high school are telling their students. I agree, if I had to work an extra day, someone needs to pay me. I’m sure I’ll get some flak that I’m not dedicated enough if I won’t work one day without pay!By lou
February 25, 2008 3:22 PM | Link to this
Laura why does the high school have to make up days the others missed? Schools in Vandalia only the shools that have to make up days make them up. The others have already done their time. If they made me make up a day I was in session you better believe that they would be paying me.By Concerned Mom of 3
February 23, 2008 6:31 PM | Link to this
CharterSchoolHater- I think you are putting too much of the blame for poor test scores on the Board and the Superintendent… Just because there is “new blood” on the Board or in the Superintendent’s position doesn’t mean the test scores are going to significantly improve. The problem of low test scores stems from poor parenting- and from the students not appreciating how important a quality education is. The parents and students in the Dayton Public School district would both greatly benefit from some lessons about self-respect and respecting authority. I agree that the DPS district has flaws in the way it runs. I disagree that a new board or superintendent will magically fix the problems.By Laura
February 23, 2008 3:49 PM | Link to this
Some other schools did use at least one heat day. Fairborn used one for the elementary and middle school because they do not have air conditioning. The high school was in session but, as I understand it, they will still have to make up the day with the others.By charterschoolhater
February 23, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this
Hey Scott, When are you going to tackle the issue that as far as critical decision making, this school district is terminal. Terminal because it continues to employ a superintendent who can’t administer and we have a board of ed who will not lead. Having a blended calender, I think thats what they call it, is absurd. This district would have had more calamity days if they just did what everyone else does. Start school closer to labor day. Why would we accept that from these cats. The status quo seems to be all right for this board and the superintendent. That is why children don’t learn like in other districts. There is too much chaos in the buildings and on the buses. If they cannot deal with that. Why should they be able to figure out that school in early August with no climate control, is not a good decision. This board, and Dr. Mack have a long history of many such faux pas. Things are changing though. We just rid ourselves of some board members who don’t get it. Next time we will get some more new blood. Maybe then we can rid ourselves of the incompetent Mack and his assistants. All I keep hearing is that tests scores are going up. When are we going to be where we should be? In the 22nds century? Maybe so. By then we will definitely have a new superintendent and board guaranteed. Dayton’s children deserve better. Too bad we are not giving it too them. Too bad the DDN is not trying to be part of the solution by reporting this outrage. Stories about McCain and Mrs. smith are nice. But we need to know all about what our board and administrators are doing, or in this case not doing to solve the dilemma of really poor student achievement. Please tell us Scott. There is really no excuse for the time it is taking them to solve this problem. New schools are not the end all solution.By Barb
February 23, 2008 12:09 PM | Link to this
If the Base and colleges are closed, including UD for the safety of students wouldn’t we expect the schools that rely on buses to close?By Riverdale Ghost
February 22, 2008 8:59 PM | Link to this
How good are the teachers at driving their cars?By dps teacher
February 22, 2008 8:39 PM | Link to this
I am not complaining I agree the student safety is important. I was just curious how many days other districts have used. I couldn’t remember if some of the other districts used some for heat days.By Lea
February 22, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
Just as a note… I have a 12-year-old who flat refuses to wear a coat or gloves. Every time we actually can get her to wear her coat she then “forgets it” at school or wherever she was. I gave up buying her new coats. The 9-year-old doesn’t argue… It’s not in style to wear a coat no matter how cold it gets. And there is nothing the parents can do. I still think we need to have school uniforms so it’s not a fashion show!By Laura
February 22, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this
I have a question for all those who have been complaining about the number of snow days that are called. What possible reason could a superintendent have for calling school off other than safety or concern for being sued?By lou
February 22, 2008 6:02 AM | Link to this
Vandalia has used 4 and 1 school 5. If they close today they are at 5 and 6By dps teacher
February 21, 2008 7:52 PM | Link to this
How many snow days have other school districts used due to heat or snow? Dayton has used 8 days. What has Centerville, Beavercreek, Kettering, Xenia, etc used?By Laura
February 21, 2008 7:28 PM | Link to this
What some people who complain about schools closing is that the superintendent’s don’t usually make the decision alone. They take into account the weather prediction, the road conditions as reported by area police and usually a personal drive through their area. But probably the biggest determination is whether they think the odds are students can be safely transported to and from school wihtout the likelihood of being sued. People sue for any reason and too often win. As far as Wednesday, I sat behind a wreck for 45 minutes while the roads were salted and the wrecked cars were removed. If drivers were more cautious and people didn’t sue at the drop of a hat, many of these snow days probably wouldn’t be an issue.By lou
February 21, 2008 7:21 PM | Link to this
Why are we talking about how many snow days Dayton has used? We have closed only 2 days for snow. The other 6 were heat. Dayton was in school Wed. and most of my high school student were there.By Barb
February 21, 2008 7:16 PM | Link to this
Aren’t most of the places people are talking about farther north and I suspect that they prepare for snow differently. Perhaps they have more plows and more salt. I know my son says in CT they have the streets perfect in a few hours but they are set up for that. What is wrong with kids looking forward to a snow day? Should we have gone to school on those hot days when the temperature in some classrooms was close to 110? It is so easy to talk about what it was like way back when. Yes I too walked to school so there was no reason to worry about bus accidents. There was not a concern about students waiting in the cold with little to no winter clothing. What if just one student gets hurt or even worse killed waiting on a bus where a car slides off the road? What if there is a major accident then should schools have been closed? Do buses handle like SUVs? Can a bus driver change their route depending on traffic. It is so easy to criticize. How much are kids really missing when they miss for snow? Perhaps the state should look into extending the calamity days. I still think there is actually a way to apply for additional days when needed. No one seems to have that answer.By Oldprof
February 21, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
For contrast: in graduate school in South Carolina, one inch of snow was enough to close not only all schools, but all shopping malls and the state government offices!By null
February 21, 2008 9:41 AM | Link to this
Boy, if we had winters just half as bad as Michigan, Dayton students would never get a winter break, spring break or summer break. They would be making up calamity days. Not only because of snow, but because of heat. Unreal that I was able to walk my 3/4 of a mile to and from school in sub-zero temperatures and 5 to 6 inches of snow and I lived through it!!!By Skeptic
February 21, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this
Scott, I agree. I am from Illinois and a snow day was a very rare event, indeed. I only recall 2 or 3 in my entire primary education. Of course, it was a long time ago so I could be wrong about that. Still, I find it shocking how quickly they shut down schools in this area. It is a waste of valuable class time, not to mention the loss of productivity for all those parents who have to stay home as a result of a snow day. Even after a big snow I find the major streets are clear by the time I leave for work.By simba
February 21, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this
I was thinking the same thing! Of course, “back in the day” when I was in elementary school in Toledo, everyone went to neighborhood schools (the school system didn’t even own any busses). But we also went home for lunch until high school, so we made the trip to school twice every day. Our parents bundled us up & sent us on our way. I don’t recall having recess, but since most of walked to & from school twice a day, we probably didn’t need it. Maybe the difference is that most of us had moms at home during the day, who made sure we were dressed properly and got warmed up when we returned home. These days, I’m amazed at what appears to me to be lack of common sense in dressing for the weather from many adults, who pass that along to their kids. I know that there are many families who struggle to clothe & feed their kids, but I’ve seen a lot of affluent kids without hats or gloves in the bitter cold. Also, our parents were less likely to blame other people for what happened. If your kid got sick, well, that’s life. It wasn’t the fault of the school who made your kid walk to school in 2” of snow, so she got her feet wet & cold. I volunteer at a school in one of the area small cities, and I’ve heard staff say they can’t send the kids out for recess because so many of the kids don’t come with proper clothing for the weather. I’ve seen one little girl (who has an adequate wardrobe) borrow a sweatshirt day after day, because “Daddy says I don’t need a sweater today” - when it was cold like today! Yes, I think we’re wimps. Unfortunately, the school systems are probably trying to protect themselves from lawsuits as much as they are making decisions based on the actual weather conditions.By Worried DPS Parent
February 21, 2008 8:06 AM | Link to this
Coming from a country with very little snowfall, part of me expects every little snowfall to close schools and businesses! However, living here has obviously toughened me up some, as I did not expect Wednesday’s snowfall to close schools. That said, as I drove slowly along a couple of unplowed and unsalted side streets, I did ponder the idea that school districts should open or close depending on whether or not a certain (large) percentage of the locals roads, including side streets are clear, as even the smallest amount of snow can making driving more dangerous. Also, if schools are going to open they need to make sure all of their sidewalks and lots are cleared and salted - on Tuesday, the lot at my son’s school was like an ice rink, quite literally, whilst only a portion of the sidewalk was salted.By DavidSS2`
February 21, 2008 8:01 AM | Link to this
Comparing conditions within a highly populated urban region to those of more rural areas is not doable. Driving into a major city always shows warmer on the car’s thermometer in cold weather, probably because of all the houses and businesses giving off heat. So snow will seem less threatening. If you want to go drive buses around country roads that have not been plowed or even had many cars go through breaking the snow down for you, have at it. You may recall the few bus accidents that occur during inclement weather in recent years way back were covered like dead carcasses by thee newspaper and the electonic media in a feeding frenzie in past years. “Why a kid could be hurt” if the bus slips sideways off the road. “They shouldn’t have tried to have school” was the comments while every worker drove their car to businesses around the area (and the few that haven’t been driven out of the City). So the PR concerns about safety and lawsuits govern the decision to go to school or not. Note that the city schools decided to have school on a day that was much more dangerous because of their poorly planned schedule’s hot days off—while the next snow was much less and the city schools cancelled. That was probably due to bad PR from the first day where they tried to avoid having makeup days due to their poor planning. —Bad to compare to anything the city schools do or don’t do. Let’s see what happens on Friday morning…if the forcasters are right for once this year…!!!!!!!By Montessori teacher
February 21, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
Most of the private Montessori schools were open and are often open on snowy days. At our school, and I’m pretty sure, at the other Montessori schools, we take the children out every day for at least 30 minutes. Children need to be outside to run and get fresh air. We make sure that the parents know we do this and they cooperate by sending snow pants, mittens, hats, etc. We also have extras if needed. When the temperature drops into the teens and there are coughs, we won’t go out for long or at all. That has happened maybe five times at the most. We also see the cold air as a great way to clear out the room, for a short time, of germs. And, getting the children outside out of the confines of the classroom reduces germs on them too. The buy-in has to be there for the teachers and the administration has to set this as a policy, otherwise it can be too easy for the adults to decide that it’s too cold out. I encourage parents to take a stand and ensure your children are getting outside every day possible.By Socialwrkr
February 20, 2008 11:35 PM | Link to this
I grew up in the Chicago area, where we routinely had 6-8 inch snowfalls. In all four years of high school, we had ONE day called off, and that was for a huge ice storm that wiped the power out and coated nearly 3 inches of pure ice on everything. We were back in school the next day. It’s stunning to me the number of days that school is canceled in this area. It is OHIO and we have winter every year! There needs to be better decision making done.