Another snow day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MCPS didn’t get its facilities cleared then they needed to close. But the question then is why didn’t they get their facilities cleared?

Everything was cleared at our elementary by early afternoon, I suppose high school campuses have a lot more to clear, but I'm sure they managed. The email was purposefully worded vaguely, but I suspect it wasn't the MCPS facilities - it was the side streets and sidewalks across the county that posed just enough of a hazard this morning that they changed their minds. Which is stupid, because they should have known this last night. I walked my dog outside at 10pm yesterday, and everything was iced over exactly the same way as this morning, when we went for the same walk. DUH.

My mom and I picked up DD from a child care program at 5pm at an ES yesterday. It was really icy and slippery in the parking lot and the walkways behind the school. Based on the conditions at the school, my mom accurately predicted today's closure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many people telling us all they hate their kids and actually having to parent but use the school system as their cover.

Aha PP, you cracked the code. All of us parents who think that public schools should educate our children hate our kids. The only good parents are the ones who want to keep their kids locked in the basement through middle age for endless crafts, cuddles and hot chocolate - all curated for social media.

News flash: I have a very flexible job and my only kid at home is in HS. I still would like to see him get an education, especially as the term nears its end. I still appreciate how hard these ridiculous no-school days are for working parents of small children, especially those who don't have flexible jobs or the extra funds to pay for unanticipated childcare. I still think a major metropolitan area shouldn't close schools for 160k+ students because of a minor storm that ended two days ago.

+1 this is the voice of reason.

Not that I don’t appreciate being told I don’t want to parent because I view this as an equity issue. You have to be in a certain situation to change course quickly for a late decision snow day or pick your kid up 2 hours early and if you are shift worker with no family around it’s not as simple as enjoying another snow day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MCPS didn’t get its facilities cleared then they needed to close. But the question then is why didn’t they get their facilities cleared?

Everything was cleared at our elementary by early afternoon, I suppose high school campuses have a lot more to clear, but I'm sure they managed. The email was purposefully worded vaguely, but I suspect it wasn't the MCPS facilities - it was the side streets and sidewalks across the county that posed just enough of a hazard this morning that they changed their minds. Which is stupid, because they should have known this last night. I walked my dog outside at 10pm yesterday, and everything was iced over exactly the same way as this morning, when we went for the same walk. DUH.

Nope. Before the announcement this morning, we received an email from building services that said our parking lot wasn't cleared, was dangerous to drive in, and to proceed with caution. Middle school upcounty. Again, just because *your* area was cleared, doesnt mean everyone's was. Not sure what is difficult to understand about this, but people in MoCo seem to all have narcissistic thinking.

Just another piece of evidence that the school system is too big

[Anonymous]

Seems like everyone should be staying home then to allow the crews to clear the roads. Don't drive your kids around to different sledding hills and activities, let them play in the backyard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many people telling us all they hate their kids and actually having to parent but use the school system as their cover.

Aha PP, you cracked the code. All of us parents who think that public schools should educate our children hate our kids. The only good parents are the ones who want to keep their kids locked in the basement through middle age for endless crafts, cuddles and hot chocolate - all curated for social media.

News flash: I have a very flexible job and my only kid at home is in HS. I still would like to see him get an education, especially as the term nears its end. I still appreciate how hard these ridiculous no-school days are for working parents of small children, especially those who don't have flexible jobs or the extra funds to pay for unanticipated childcare. I still think a major metropolitan area shouldn't close schools for 160k+ students because of a minor storm that ended two days ago.

+1 this is the voice of reason.

Not that I don’t appreciate being told I don’t want to parent because I view this as an equity issue. You have to be in a certain situation to change course quickly for a late decision snow day or pick your kid up 2 hours early and if you are shift worker with no family around it’s not as simple as enjoying another snow day.

Most people figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MCPS didn’t get its facilities cleared then they needed to close. But the question then is why didn’t they get their facilities cleared?

Everything was cleared at our elementary by early afternoon, I suppose high school campuses have a lot more to clear, but I'm sure they managed. The email was purposefully worded vaguely, but I suspect it wasn't the MCPS facilities - it was the side streets and sidewalks across the county that posed just enough of a hazard this morning that they changed their minds. Which is stupid, because they should have known this last night. I walked my dog outside at 10pm yesterday, and everything was iced over exactly the same way as this morning, when we went for the same walk. DUH.

Nope. Before the announcement this morning, we received an email from building services that said our parking lot wasn't cleared, was dangerous to drive in, and to proceed with caution. Middle school upcounty. Again, just because *your* area was cleared, doesnt mean everyone's was. Not sure what is difficult to understand about this, but people in MoCo seem to all have narcissistic thinking.

It's not going to change, so either deal with it or move to a smaller school system.
Just another piece of evidence that the school system is too big

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like everyone should be staying home then to allow the crews to clear the roads. Don't drive your kids around to different sledding hills and activities, let them play in the backyard.

*sigh*

It's meant to keep staff members who live outside of the county and have to commute safe. It's to keep children safe who are in areas that haven't been cleared yet. Stop being angry at people who want to protect your children and their staff. Grow up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes this seems like a VERY late call to me. Probably was waiting until the last minute. Is there a published list of cutoff times that MCPS tries to adhere to?

Yes, your mom has the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MCPS didn’t get its facilities cleared then they needed to close. But the question then is why didn’t they get their facilities cleared?

Everything was cleared at our elementary by early afternoon, I suppose high school campuses have a lot more to clear, but I'm sure they managed. The email was purposefully worded vaguely, but I suspect it wasn't the MCPS facilities - it was the side streets and sidewalks across the county that posed just enough of a hazard this morning that they changed their minds. Which is stupid, because they should have known this last night. I walked my dog outside at 10pm yesterday, and everything was iced over exactly the same way as this morning, when we went for the same walk. DUH.

Nope. Before the announcement this morning, we received an email from building services that said our parking lot wasn't cleared, was dangerous to drive in, and to proceed with caution. Middle school upcounty. Again, just because *your* area was cleared, doesnt mean everyone's was. Not sure what is difficult to understand about this, but people in MoCo seem to all have narcissistic thinking.

Just another piece of evidence that the school system is too big

Also, the moon is not bright enough. Brighter moon now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Snow/ice removal comes down to equipment and labor. Who’s willing to have their property taxes increased to cover these costs?

Have they cut the budget for these services over time? Obviously this place has never been western NY in terms of snow removal but I grew up around here and IMO the ability to handle minor snow events has declined over time. Either that or the tolerance for anything other than completely ice/snow free sidewalks and roads.

But anyway, I thought it was a bit odd that central office was giving itself a 2hr delay today when there was no similar OPM call. Clearly someone there was scared about having to drive to work.

I think it's both. And we're raising the next generation to believe that any snow or lingering ice warrants a snow day, like in the deep south.

It's mostly a tolerance thing. Are there patches of snow/ice on some roads and sidewalks? Sure, but not enough to shut things down.

Have we trained people to think that if things are open, then it must be safe to drive full speed? I just don't understand how anyone could think it's reasonable to shut things down under these conditions. I'm not talking about the whether-- I mean the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. States in the north would have to shut down all winter if the current roads weren't acceptable.

How many times do people have to reply to posts like this? We ARENT in the north and therefore, were not prepared. We’re living in Montgomery county Maryland in case you haven’t noticed. That’s like saying we should be prepared for 123 degree summers because Arizona is. Use your brain.

Go outside and practice walking on ice so you are more prepared on Friday. We haven't had much snow the past few years so I understand you are out of practice. But I am from the DMV and there wasn't such angst about slippery sidewalks 30 years ago. It was just part of, you know, WINTER. This isn't Arizona, this was not some freak event.

Tell us about snowfall and winter temperatures in Montgomery County, Maryland, 30 years ago, vs. now.

30 years ago Maryland had some of the worse ice storms ever. Schools were closed for extended periods. Much more than just 4 or 5 days. The DCUM crowd would never be able to handle the MD winter of 1994.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like everyone should be staying home then to allow the crews to clear the roads. Don't drive your kids around to different sledding hills and activities, let them play in the backyard.

*sigh*

It's meant to keep staff members who live outside of the county and have to commute safe. It's to keep children safe who are in areas that haven't been cleared yet. Stop being angry at people who want to protect your children and their staff. Grow up.

So stay off the roads and allow the crews to do their jobs so staff can commute safely tomorrow! Don't clog up the roads when trucks are trying to get through! Time for you to grow up yourself sweetie.

It is amazing how workers in other job sectors (and in other school districts) were able to make it in today without so much as a delay, given the poor conditions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Snow/ice removal comes down to equipment and labor. Who’s willing to have their property taxes increased to cover these costs?

Have they cut the budget for these services over time? Obviously this place has never been western NY in terms of snow removal but I grew up around here and IMO the ability to handle minor snow events has declined over time. Either that or the tolerance for anything other than completely ice/snow free sidewalks and roads.

But anyway, I thought it was a bit odd that central office was giving itself a 2hr delay today when there was no similar OPM call. Clearly someone there was scared about having to drive to work.

I think it's both. And we're raising the next generation to believe that any snow or lingering ice warrants a snow day, like in the deep south.

It's mostly a tolerance thing. Are there patches of snow/ice on some roads and sidewalks? Sure, but not enough to shut things down.

Have we trained people to think that if things are open, then it must be safe to drive full speed? I just don't understand how anyone could think it's reasonable to shut things down under these conditions. I'm not talking about the whether-- I mean the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. States in the north would have to shut down all winter if the current roads weren't acceptable.

States up North get snow and ice every winter — and they budget, plan, and tax accordingly. We haven’t had an accumulation of snow like this in several years. Reasonable people get this.

You clearly have never lived anywhere with a winter. The roads and sidewalks here were as clear as they would have been in the north. You can't expect to clear every road perfectly.

Yes, there are situations where we're either caught off guard or the conditions overwhelm our resources. This wasn't one of them. The snowfall happened more than 24 hours ago, and there wasn't that much of it. They had all day yesterday to clear roads, and all night to treat them for ice.

[Anonymous]

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation's Highway Services Division is responsible for maintaining more than 5,000 lane miles in Montgomery County. However, other County departments, outside agencies, and governmental jurisdictions or municipalities also have responsibility for treating and plowing roads, driveways, parking lots, sidewalks, etc..

Has anyone considered calling the local government agencies to find out why the parking lots for 26 High schools, 100+ middle and elementary schools were taken care of? Before throwing MCPS leadership under the proverbial snowplow, when you called your county councilperson what did they say?

At the end of the day, it all comes down to dollars and cents folks. Homeschooling is a thing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Snow/ice removal comes down to equipment and labor. Who’s willing to have their property taxes increased to cover these costs?

Have they cut the budget for these services over time? Obviously this place has never been western NY in terms of snow removal but I grew up around here and IMO the ability to handle minor snow events has declined over time. Either that or the tolerance for anything other than completely ice/snow free sidewalks and roads.

But anyway, I thought it was a bit odd that central office was giving itself a 2hr delay today when there was no similar OPM call. Clearly someone there was scared about having to drive to work.

I think it's both. And we're raising the next generation to believe that any snow or lingering ice warrants a snow day, like in the deep south.

It's mostly a tolerance thing. Are there patches of snow/ice on some roads and sidewalks? Sure, but not enough to shut things down.

Have we trained people to think that if things are open, then it must be safe to drive full speed? I just don't understand how anyone could think it's reasonable to shut things down under these conditions. I'm not talking about the whether-- I mean the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. States in the north would have to shut down all winter if the current roads weren't acceptable.

How many times do people have to reply to posts like this? We ARENT in the north and therefore, were not prepared. We’re living in Montgomery county Maryland in case you haven’t noticed. That’s like saying we should be prepared for 123 degree summers because Arizona is. Use your brain.

Go outside and practice walking on ice so you are more prepared on Friday. We haven't had much snow the past few years so I understand you are out of practice. But I am from the DMV and there wasn't such angst about slippery sidewalks 30 years ago. It was just part of, you know, WINTER. This isn't Arizona, this was not some freak event.

Tell us about snowfall and winter temperatures in Montgomery County, Maryland, 30 years ago, vs. now.

30 years ago Maryland had some of the worse ice storms ever. Schools were closed for extended periods. Much more than just 4 or 5 days. The DCUM crowd would never be able to handle the MD winter of 1994.

Ok but ice storms can be highly disruptive because they usually come with downed trees and power outages. I grew up in an area that rarely closed for snow yet one time schools were out for a week for a big ice storm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Snow/ice removal comes down to equipment and labor. Who’s willing to have their property taxes increased to cover these costs?

Have they cut the budget for these services over time? Obviously this place has never been western NY in terms of snow removal but I grew up around here and IMO the ability to handle minor snow events has declined over time. Either that or the tolerance for anything other than completely ice/snow free sidewalks and roads.

But anyway, I thought it was a bit odd that central office was giving itself a 2hr delay today when there was no similar OPM call. Clearly someone there was scared about having to drive to work.

I think it's both. And we're raising the next generation to believe that any snow or lingering ice warrants a snow day, like in the deep south.

It's mostly a tolerance thing. Are there patches of snow/ice on some roads and sidewalks? Sure, but not enough to shut things down.

Have we trained people to think that if things are open, then it must be safe to drive full speed? I just don't understand how anyone could think it's reasonable to shut things down under these conditions. I'm not talking about the whether-- I mean the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. States in the north would have to shut down all winter if the current roads weren't acceptable.

States up North get snow and ice every winter — and they budget, plan, and tax accordingly. We haven’t had an accumulation of snow like this in several years. Reasonable people get this.

You clearly have never lived anywhere with a winter. The roads and sidewalks here were as clear as they would have been in the north. You can't expect to clear every road perfectly.

Yes, there are situations where we're either caught off guard or the conditions overwhelm our resources. This wasn't one of them. The snowfall happened more than 24 hours ago, and there wasn't that much of it. They had all day yesterday to clear roads, and all night to treat them for ice.

Maybe they ran out of the ice treament already? Time to order more.