Last week, students all over got a free two-day vacation because of sub-zero temperatures. Adults everywhere let out a collective, “Back in my day, we walked three miles to school in sub-zero temperatures.”
The first day off didn’t cause much grumbling. But when the television stations started scrolling the closed schools list the next day, many complaints could be heard.
Now, I don’t think that school should be closed at the drop of a hat, but we are living in a new world, full of different ideas about tolerance for pain (or cold) and what, exactly, children of school age should be subjected to. I like to think that I haven’t been out of school for a real long time, and the standards have even changed since I last responded to bells more efficiently than Pavlov’s dogs.
School officials are faced with a tough dilemma when weighing whether or not to close. Obviously, if the roads are impassable, that makes the decision much easier. Certainly no one (cranky adults included) would recommend that busses full of children be added to the already congested morning commutes on icy roads.
There are other scenarios to consider, however. How many times have you walked or driven past a pack of kids and said to yourself, “how in the world do their parents allow them out of the house without a coat (or hat or gloves or boots) in this weather?”
Well, some of those same kids have to walk to school. Some can’t afford proper winter attire. Some just plain don’t have the sense to zip up their coat. Some worry that wearing a stocking hat would ruin their perfectly contrived spikes that they spent 30 minutes in the morning applying gel and hairspray to.
There is a difference, however, when we see the kids wandering coatless on the weekends and when we see them trudging to or from school. ‘School’ is the operative word. Once they are heading to school or from school or playing on the playground at school, they are the responsibility of the school.
And you can bet that those same parents or grandparents or whoever else was complaining would be calling an attorney or making plans to raise a fuss at the next school board meeting the second little Timmy walked home with frostbite.
We, as citizens, have demanded increased accountability and responsibility from school employees and teachers over the years. Officials cannot be faulted when they err on the side of caution.

New Components
Spotlight has profiled several civic organizations and community groups within the area. This is meant to explain a little about each group and how to join.
School Days takes readers inside various classrooms of area schools. This feature is meant to highlight unique things going in in schools.
Around Town is another broad feature. “Around Town” is meant to be a way to highlight some history of the area or explain interesting characteristics of the area.

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