Should school be closed when it's too cold

[Anonymous]

Should school be closed when it's too cold? . If yes, what it's "Too cold?


IMO This is silly....

[Anonymous]

If it is too cold for the furnace to properly heat the buildings NG, yes. Otherwise, no. But I'm from the upper Midwest.

[Anonymous]

Seriously? This again already?

[Anonymous]

Ask me again in January.

[Anonymous]

Yes. But it never gets "too cold" in the mid-Atlantic.

[Anonymous]

In my title one school 35 percent of my kids walk. It rises to about 75 percent as we reach 5th grade because the bus becomes "uncool". So I have lots of kids walking 4 and 5 miles instead of the normal 1 or 2. These kids also don't have proper winter attire. I had one student about 3 years ago who got frost bite on the bottom of his nostril. His snot froze and 35 minutes later when he got to school it starting "burning" and "pricking" him. Im not sure of a cut off temp but I dont think its an absurd concept at least at my school. No one is giving these kids rides either. No one in their household will go "man its super cold today we better take Larla".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my title one school 35 percent of my kids walk. It rises to about 75 percent as we reach 5th grade because the bus becomes "uncool". So I have lots of kids walking 4 and 5 miles instead of the normal 1 or 2. These kids also don't have proper winter attire. I had one student about 3 years ago who got frost bite on the bottom of his nostril. His snot froze and 35 minutes later when he got to school it starting "burning" and "pricking" him. Im not sure of a cut off temp but I dont think its an absurd concept at least at my school. No one is giving these kids rides either. No one in their household will go "man its super cold today we better take Larla".

At least some of those kids will get their only two meals that day at school so they will suffer if school is closed. Have a drive for coats, mittens, socks, and boots.

[Anonymous]

If kids are too stupid to ride a bus when it's that cold, then they need to learn a slightly painful lesson. I walked to school in the 6:30 a.m. time frame when it was single digits or less in the midwest. My sinuses would freeze and I would have frost on my eyelashes. There was no bus for me. I literally had to cross scary railroad tracks with roaming dogs. I'm not saying kids should have danger in their walk to school, but I'm pretty sure these kids' parents can find coats and scarves at clothing closets that give it away free. And if they don't take the bus, ... live and learn.

5 degrees isn't going to kill them for 20 min.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't ever get that cold in DC. My kids went to school in below zero weather all winter in Alaska. It's not like the kids are outside. They are in a heated building. Of course you need to dress your kids properly if they walk to school or wait at bus stop. The weather in the DC area never requires more than an inexpensive winter coat and cheap hat and gloves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Should school be closed when it's too cold? . If yes, what it's "Too cold?


IMO This is silly....

IMO YOU are silly.

[Anonymous]

I think that school systems should have buses that start and drive in all temperatures.

However, given that FCPS doesn't have buses that start in the cold, and that many parents leave their kids home assuming that they'll be picked up, or drop them at the bus stop and go to work, I think the schools need to close on days when they anticipate that they won't be able to get enough buses to start. Leaving kids stranded at bus stops isn't an option.

But really, I think they need to fix the issue with the buses.

[Anonymous]

Yes! It's cold AND dark at 6 am when a lot of kids are at bus stops.

[Anonymous]

In order to fix the issue with the buses - they would have to buy engine block heaters. That's a pretty sizable expense and it doesn't make sense to buy equipment like that for the buses for something that happens once every 4 or 5 years. Suck it up and deal with the kids being off school for a day.

[Anonymous]

Cold by itself is not a problem.
Ice is dangerous for both vehicles and pedestrians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that school systems should have buses that start and drive in all temperatures.

However, given that FCPS doesn't have buses that start in the cold, and that many parents leave their kids home assuming that they'll be picked up, or drop them at the bus stop and go to work, I think the schools need to close on days when they anticipate that they won't be able to get enough buses to start. Leaving kids stranded at bus stops isn't an option.

But really, I think they need to fix the issue with the buses.

The issue with the buses isn't a Fairfax-only problem. If you Google "school closed cold buses don't start", you will find new articles from all over. Schools close and parents complain.

Also, while it may reach 0° regularly in other areas, that is record setting cold here. We're not really prepared for it. Ice is a separate issue and is certainly a legitimate reason to close schools.