With Wednesday (November 30th) being the first major snow fall of the season, it also brought with it the first batch of school closures and delays. A few were closed; many were delayed. What caught my eye was some of the reactions on social media (more specifically, the Yakima Scan Facebook page). One in particular comment caught my eye.

“Maybe it's because they start school a little earlier than we did in the 80s, but we didn't have these late starts and cancellations for the tiny amount of snow that they delay and cancel school for now.” – Jen Henderson

 

At first, I agreed with the comment. Heck, I graduated from Naches, we only ever cancelled school if a cow froze to the road GOING UP to the high school. I’m joking (kind of) but you get my point. After reading more and more comments, I started to change my opinion.

Possible Reasons For The Extra Delays & Closures

Back in my day” is the saying I love hearing and have started to say myself. It’s a sign of the times. Back in my day, there was much less traffic on the roads. Less cars means less accidents. Not to mention, people are so distracted while they’re driving already, add bad conditions to the mix and that’s a recipe for disaster.


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The other thought I had, is how everyone is “sue happy”. I hate to think this way, but if there was a wreck involving a school bus, EVEN IF no one was injured, you better believe some parent wouldn’t bat an eye at filing a lawsuit. Judging by the world today, that parent would probably win.

When it comes down to it, it’s that old saying, “better safe than sorry”. The schools are choosing to err on the side of caution, and I can’t really blame them. It is also interesting to think how kids have it a little rougher, if not sadder this time of year. This comment from Steve Smith sums it up perfectly:

“I can remember a time back in the early 1960s when we had a heavy snowfall (over a foot) on a Sunday night. Monday morning the local radio station broadcast, ‘There will be a 30 minute delay in the Sunnyside school district because the buses are still chaining up.’ - Steve Smith

 

Kids will never have the joy, anticipation, and excitement of waiting for the song to end and the long list of schools to be read just to see if you could play in the snow, or have to head to school… trudging in the snow. Now they get a phone call or a text and just like that, their suspense is gone. It’s really sad, moments like that builds character and memories.


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CHECK OUT: SNOW SHOVELING INTO THE STREET IS BREAKING THE LAW

What do you think when it comes to the snow delays and closures? Too many? Should the kids suck it up and tough it out? Tap the App, send us a message and let us know your thoughts.

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