Does a cold alert warrant school closures?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right before winter break, we had to distribute coats to students who only had hoodies. It wasn’t even freezing yet.

If we open, many walkers will either stay home or arrive frostbitten and dangerously chilled.

We will open. MCPS expects families to get their act together during the winter season. It is not MCPS' responsibility to make sure your kid has a coat.

And duh - kids don't show up to school with coats if it's not freezing! My daughter and a whole lot of other tween and teens seem to think it a badge of honor to show up at school in the flimsiest outfits known to humanity. I see the boys walking about in shorts and t-shirts. At least DD wears leggings.

Leggings! Wow that's definitely t/w/een winter approved. Shorts is more common, a hoddie in weather like this week's.

Two posters who can’t differentiate between middle class kids who want to look cool and poor kids who don’t have a choice.

We know, but we're making fun of you because MCPS has never used lack of clothing as a criteria for closing schools. Criteria are:

A. Cleared school properties and
B. Temps that allow school buses to start their engines.

By the time MCPS has those two things, the county is usually done with clearing streets and salting. The two are *related*, but MCPS is not responsible for the county's portion of the work! Temps factor in to start the diesel engines. If temps are too cold for easy starts, then temps are too cold for kids who might or might not be adequately clothed. But the criteria is engine start, not clothes!

So you're just very, very, stupid, PP, and you deserve being made fun of. I am certain you know all this, but just want to troll around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of you have a MS student who walks a mile to school?

I'm so sorry you must be living in poverty and cannot afford a winter coat for your child. There are a variety of programs through the county, school system, and charity organizations to distribute coats to families in need. What part of the county are you in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, the cold alert is separate from decisions made regarding school closures... unless temps were to go so low that buses couldn't start or heating failed in buildings, which if memory serves happened once during my kids' schooling, many years ago, for single digit temps. But for the temps we have right now, cold won't affect school openings.

The school closure today was due to the winds yesterday that blew the snow cleared by plows back onto school sidewalks and parking lots in Damascus and other locations. Winds have died down and we will not have the same problem today.

I am expecting on time opening for Thursday, or at most a 2 hr delay for icy bus stops.

It is always a 2 hour delay after a snow day. Or two or three.

[Anonymous]

Hoodies only for the HS kids I see everyday.

[Anonymous]

My kids are juniors now. When they were in kindergarten, we had the much-hyped polar vortex. There were warnings about how as little as 10 minutes of skin exposure could lead to frostbite. MCPS didn’t close. One of my kids has coordination issues and couldn’t bundle up quickly. I knew their kindergarten teacher couldn’t make sure 26 kindergartners didn’t have exposed skin. I called the school and asked them where the kids would go if the fire alarm went off and they had to evacuate. The secretary said they’d just stand around outside. Being a nervous helicopter mom, I just kept them home on the coldest day (may even have been 2 days, I don’t remember). Here we are 11 years later, and believe it or not, my kids are on track to graduate next year, despite my super cautious approach.

Even if MCPS doesn’t close on Friday (which they shouldn’t just for these temps, if opening is feasible), you can keep your children home if you feel it’s unsafe. Those same kids who may not have winter coats need to be fed on Friday and sent home with a backpack of food for the weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right before winter break, we had to distribute coats to students who only had hoodies. It wasn’t even freezing yet.

If we open, many walkers will either stay home or arrive frostbitten and dangerously chilled.

We will open. MCPS expects families to get their act together during the winter season. It is not MCPS' responsibility to make sure your kid has a coat.

And duh - kids don't show up to school with coats if it's not freezing! My daughter and a whole lot of other tween and teens seem to think it a badge of honor to show up at school in the flimsiest outfits known to humanity. I see the boys walking about in shorts and t-shirts. At least DD wears leggings.

Leggings! Wow that's definitely t/w/een winter approved. Shorts is more common, a hoddie in weather like this week's.

Two posters who can’t differentiate between middle class kids who want to look cool and poor kids who don’t have a choice.

We know, but we're making fun of you because MCPS has never used lack of clothing as a criteria for closing schools. Criteria are:

A. Cleared school properties and
B. Temps that allow school buses to start their engines.

By the time MCPS has those two things, the county is usually done with clearing streets and salting. The two are *related*, but MCPS is not responsible for the county's portion of the work! Temps factor in to start the diesel engines. If temps are too cold for easy starts, then temps are too cold for kids who might or might not be adequately clothed. But the criteria is engine start, not clothes!

So you're just very, very, stupid, PP, and you deserve being made fun of. I am certain you know all this, but just want to troll around.

Can bus engines not start when it is 19 degrees fahrenheit? That seems like a big problem for the rest of the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are juniors now. When they were in kindergarten, we had the much-hyped polar vortex. There were warnings about how as little as 10 minutes of skin exposure could lead to frostbite. MCPS didn’t close. One of my kids has coordination issues and couldn’t bundle up quickly. I knew their kindergarten teacher couldn’t make sure 26 kindergartners didn’t have exposed skin. I called the school and asked them where the kids would go if the fire alarm went off and they had to evacuate. The secretary said they’d just stand around outside. Being a nervous helicopter mom, I just kept them home on the coldest day (may even have been 2 days, I don’t remember). Here we are 11 years later, and believe it or not, my kids are on track to graduate next year, despite my super cautious approach.

Even if MCPS doesn’t close on Friday (which they shouldn’t just for these temps, if opening is feasible), you can keep your children home if you feel it’s unsafe. Those same kids who may not have winter coats need to be fed on Friday and sent home with a backpack of food for the weekend.

That's like saying if someone pees in your cereal today, that's okay because 10 years from now you'll still be alive and well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right before winter break, we had to distribute coats to students who only had hoodies. It wasn’t even freezing yet.

If we open, many walkers will either stay home or arrive frostbitten and dangerously chilled.

We will open. MCPS expects families to get their act together during the winter season. It is not MCPS' responsibility to make sure your kid has a coat.

And duh - kids don't show up to school with coats if it's not freezing! My daughter and a whole lot of other tween and teens seem to think it a badge of honor to show up at school in the flimsiest outfits known to humanity. I see the boys walking about in shorts and t-shirts. At least DD wears leggings.

Leggings! Wow that's definitely t/w/een winter approved. Shorts is more common, a hoddie in weather like this week's.

Two posters who can’t differentiate between middle class kids who want to look cool and poor kids who don’t have a choice.

We know, but we're making fun of you because MCPS has never used lack of clothing as a criteria for closing schools. Criteria are:

A. Cleared school properties and
B. Temps that allow school buses to start their engines.

By the time MCPS has those two things, the county is usually done with clearing streets and salting. The two are *related*, but MCPS is not responsible for the county's portion of the work! Temps factor in to start the diesel engines. If temps are too cold for easy starts, then temps are too cold for kids who might or might not be adequately clothed. But the criteria is engine start, not clothes!

So you're just very, very, stupid, PP, and you deserve being made fun of. I am certain you know all this, but just want to troll around.

Where did you get these criteria? Given that MCPS has closed on high wind days when parking lots were clear, and the temp was high enough that buses could start, I have to conclude these are not some official MCPS criteria, and that MCPS does in fact consider the safety of students and staff traveling to and from school when making decisions. I suspect you just made them up, and then called someone else stupid and a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right before winter break, we had to distribute coats to students who only had hoodies. It wasn’t even freezing yet.

If we open, many walkers will either stay home or arrive frostbitten and dangerously chilled.

We will open. MCPS expects families to get their act together during the winter season. It is not MCPS' responsibility to make sure your kid has a coat.

And duh - kids don't show up to school with coats if it's not freezing! My daughter and a whole lot of other tween and teens seem to think it a badge of honor to show up at school in the flimsiest outfits known to humanity. I see the boys walking about in shorts and t-shirts. At least DD wears leggings.

Leggings! Wow that's definitely t/w/een winter approved. Shorts is more common, a hoddie in weather like this week's.

Two posters who can’t differentiate between middle class kids who want to look cool and poor kids who don’t have a choice.

We know, but we're making fun of you because MCPS has never used lack of clothing as a criteria for closing schools. Criteria are:

A. Cleared school properties and
B. Temps that allow school buses to start their engines.

By the time MCPS has those two things, the county is usually done with clearing streets and salting. The two are *related*, but MCPS is not responsible for the county's portion of the work! Temps factor in to start the diesel engines. If temps are too cold for easy starts, then temps are too cold for kids who might or might not be adequately clothed. But the criteria is engine start, not clothes!

So you're just very, very, stupid, PP, and you deserve being made fun of. I am certain you know all this, but just want to troll around.

Can bus engines not start when it is 19 degrees fahrenheit? That seems like a big problem for the rest of the winter.

They can. That's why the PP was telling the earlier poster they were being ridiculous. It's going to plenty warm tomorrow morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right before winter break, we had to distribute coats to students who only had hoodies. It wasn’t even freezing yet.

If we open, many walkers will either stay home or arrive frostbitten and dangerously chilled.

We will open. MCPS expects families to get their act together during the winter season. It is not MCPS' responsibility to make sure your kid has a coat.

And duh - kids don't show up to school with coats if it's not freezing! My daughter and a whole lot of other tween and teens seem to think it a badge of honor to show up at school in the flimsiest outfits known to humanity. I see the boys walking about in shorts and t-shirts. At least DD wears leggings.

Leggings! Wow that's definitely t/w/een winter approved. Shorts is more common, a hoddie in weather like this week's.

Two posters who can’t differentiate between middle class kids who want to look cool and poor kids who don’t have a choice.

We know, but we're making fun of you because MCPS has never used lack of clothing as a criteria for closing schools. Criteria are:

A. Cleared school properties and
B. Temps that allow school buses to start their engines.

By the time MCPS has those two things, the county is usually done with clearing streets and salting. The two are *related*, but MCPS is not responsible for the county's portion of the work! Temps factor in to start the diesel engines. If temps are too cold for easy starts, then temps are too cold for kids who might or might not be adequately clothed. But the criteria is engine start, not clothes!

So you're just very, very, stupid, PP, and you deserve being made fun of. I am certain you know all this, but just want to troll around.

Can bus engines not start when it is 19 degrees fahrenheit? That seems like a big problem for the rest of the winter.

They can. That's why the PP was telling the earlier poster they were being ridiculous. It's going to plenty warm tomorrow morning.

Not the electric buses that Lynne Harris previously advocated for and that led to budget issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many of you have a MS student who walks a mile to school?

I'm so sorry you must be living in poverty and cannot afford a winter coat for your child. There are a variety of programs through the county, school system, and charity organizations to distribute coats to families in need. What part of the county are you in?

You need to stop with the day drinking, Karen. It’s not wine o’clock somewhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many of you have a MS student who walks a mile to school?

I'm so sorry you must be living in poverty and cannot afford a winter coat for your child. There are a variety of programs through the county, school system, and charity organizations to distribute coats to families in need. What part of the county are you in?

You need to stop with the day drinking, Karen. It’s not wine o’clock somewhere

There no shame in needing help. Please contact one of those groups to get a winter coat for your middle schooler. Your PTA may be able to help arrange a car ride in the morning as well.

[Anonymous]

It’s not just the cold temps, it’s the ice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just the cold temps, it’s the ice.

And? They've been putting sand, and in some places salt, down. Main roads are in good condition, and will remain so because it has been cold. You can drive a little slower on the side streets, which are also in reasonable condition even for Maryland's poor drivers.

[Anonymous]

Why do I get the feeling that all the parents advocating for school to be closed tomorrow were the same ones begging to keep schools closed over covid for two years devastating our children. Model resilience.