Last night, with the record-high, frigid February temperatures drifting in for this Thursday morning, school districts across Illinois made the decision to close schools due to wind chills dropping temperatures to nearly -30° F.
Since their creation, the perks of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have been the ability to distribute information quickly and efficiently.
With the possibility of a cancellation, many students awaited a tweet from IPSD 204 indicating whether or not we would have school; but it never came.
“I found it frustrating, because I did not know whether or not I would be able to sleep in or if I had to finish my homework, since a lot of the surrounding schools were closing,” junior Lexi Thornton said.
Obviously, the district is not required to say anything, because it is always assumed that we will be having school unless they advise otherwise. However, with so many students voicing their frustration in tweets – and without fear of hitting the district with an “@ipsd204” – it would have made sense that the district at least relay their stance on whether or not a cold day is possible.
Yes, I did my homework (most of it at least), went to bed at an appropriate time, and did not bank on an emergency day to bail me out of my normal responsibilities, but it would have been nice to know whether or not I needed to set my alarm to wake up in the morning.
Other school districts like Naperville 203 and Hinsdale 86 kept their students updated with notices via Twitter that they would continue to monitor the weather, but that they should plan on being at school in the morning.
If the school district deems it safe for us to attend school, then I do not think students should complain: Our district holds its students safety as a top priority. But with hundreds of anxious Twitter mentions from high schoolers, a lot of frustration could have been avoided with the simple drafting of a tweet.
However, should high schoolers really be complaining? Yes, we may have to wake up very early for school, but shouldn’t the elementary school students who actually have to bear the cold weather waiting for a mildly-warmed bus and their parents be the only ones complaining?
“I don’t think there was a big safety hazard being at school today, the only people it may have been unsafe for were those people who had to wait for a bus,” junior Caroline Martin said.
Most of us high school students have warm cars that we can drive to school. Yes, I realize that some of the clunking cars in the Metea parking lot are not equipped for this weather and that some students do not have a car at all, so they ride the bus.
“I think it was too cold, if the dean’s assistants do not want to stand outside and direct traffic, why should we have to come to school?,” junior Lauryn Freedlund said.
Don’t be so dramatic – was it really THAT bad walking a hundred feet from your warm car into school? It obviously was too cold to be outside with frostbite possibly occurring within minutes according to the National Weather Service, and the district understood that making people stand and direct traffic – unnecessary in extreme situations – would be compromising their safety.
By Drew Danko
A Student • Feb 24, 2015 at 2:22 pm
“Most students” having cars is quite an overstatement. How many parking spots are there, 200? Many people come alone, but since some people carpool with 4 other people, we’ll average to 3 people to car. That’s 600 people who drive in the morning, and our class size is estimated to be 900 students or more, so that’s only 2/3 of a single grade level. Our school has 30 buses, and including ones which are full and ones near empty, that’s at least 30 people per bus. That in itself is 900, an entire grade level. And this is only an estimate using basic knowledge about our school. Just because you and your friends drive to school doesn’t mean you can go slinging around that most students do, when that is pretty clearly not the case.
But hey, let’s follow your logic. Let’s talk about those elementary schoolers. I went to a daycare when I was in elementary school, and we were driven to school in a van. So wouldn’t that mean that most elementary schoolers go to daycare? I mean, there were a bunch of vans that took my friends to school, too. So only a few of the kids had to walk, and all walking students lived right next to the school. And even so, they have to leave for school later due to starting times, so it would actually be warmer than it is for middle and high schoolers. So isn’t it dramatic that they were complaining?
Yeah, sounds ridiculous, I know.
And, as a bus rider myself, I can say that my bus is no warmer than the outside, there’s only less wind. Now obviously that doesn’t mean all of them are like that, but I’m willing to bank that other buses of the same style have the same issue, as they would be equipped with the same heating mechanics. Even decked out in full winter gear, my fingers and toes are either numb or in stinging pain until first period; I get to school at 6:50.
And all of this is directed towards whether or not people who complain about the cold have valid opinons, not about whether or not the district has to communicate until 3 in the morning the day of school whether or not said school will be held. That itself, however, was debated very little.
A Friend • Feb 20, 2015 at 12:50 pm
People should understand that when people get older, they need to stay warmer for a longer period of time and that is why people don’t stand outside to direct traffic. The district sends messages when they are necessary about school closings but that doesn’t mean that they should say that they are monitoring the situation. The district understands that the safety of the children are important. If they decide to close school, they announce it everywhere. There shouldn’t be any problems with the communication of the district. People should understand that the district doesn’t have time for giving daily updates. The final decision is on the superintendent. Finally, the district shouldn’t be blamed for not communicating. Its the student’s mindset that puts blame on the district for not communicating about the situation of closing school or not. It would look like as if the district should say if school is open when there is like half of a inch of snow outside. There should be no frustration because its a given that nothing will happen. Therefore, the district should not be blamed about the lack of communication.