The anticipation of a snow day

Living in North East Ohio my entire life, the prospect of a snow day has always been an exciting possibility. Waking up in the morning and hearing schools are closed meant a free day of sleeping in, snowball fights and sled riding that I remember fondly and I enjoyed as a student, as a teacher and now as a parent.

A couple weeks back, when the National Weather Service issued a “Winter Storm Advisory” for the Austintown area, students all over the valley geared up for the possibility of a snow day.

My daughter’s friends all passed on little superstitious practices to increase their odds of having a snow day — like flushing ice cubes down the toilet or wearing their pajamas inside out.

My oldest son arrived home that evening from his basketball game in Campbell excited that my husband’s car got stuck on a hill and they were slipping and sliding all the way home.

The condition of the roads gave him the impression that there would not be school in the morning. I was secretly hoping that he was correct. He had been up until midnight every night since Christmas break working on a Science Fair project and I thought it would be good for him to catch up on his sleep.

The local TV stations played it up — urging viewers to stay tuned for possible school closings all night long.

When I awoke that morning at 5:15 a.m., many of the local schools were closed — Poland, Canfield, Boardman, Youngstown — and the closings were rapidly being added to the list.

Except Austintown.

It was almost time to get my four children up for their 7 a.m. bus pickup when “Austintown 2-hour delay” came across the screen.

Disappointed that school wasn’t cancelled, but grateful for the extra two hours to finish homework, my son got up to get himself ready while his siblings slept on. Then one of the stations made an error and inadvertently reported that Austintown had closed.

Shortly after the newsman apologized for the error, the Austintown closing came across the screen on all of the other stations.

We were grateful for the closing, even if it came late. But what about those parents who were trying to get out the door for work and had their plans changed twice?

Normal school day, delayed school start, or snow day.

Most parents don’t have flexible start times at work and need to be able to plan for childcare.

How were the roads in Austintown?

Although I had seen the plows and salt and slag trucks out, in my opinion the continuing snowfall kept the back roads slick.

What criteria is necessary to deem the roads safe or unsafe for the busses and children who walk to school? What consideration is made for the inexperienced drivers at the high school?

School bus routes are not limited to main roads. The buses are required to travel main and back roads, township and county roads with frequent stops.

Which weighs more in the minds of those administrators who must make the decision to stay open or close — safety or schedule?

What should be done for those parents who need to make childcare arrangements, perhaps earlier cancellations when closing is necessary?

The chance of a school or school system closing varies.

While some may close or delay schools when there is any question of safety, others remain open.

It’s a tough call.

This is a guest opinion from Neighbors. If you have an opinion to share (600 words max, please), email us at neighbors@vindy.com.