The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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February 9, 2010

Our view: Predicting weather, when to close schools not an exact science

Whitfield County Schools Web site

Early dismissal today, February 8, 2010

“Due to weather forecasts of winter weather coming our way, we are dismissing students early. Elementary students will be dismissed at noon followed by middle and high school students at 1 p.m. All elementary, middle and high school car riders as well as student drivers will be released at noon. Buses will be running their regular routes.”

— Posted Monday morning at about 10:30 a.m.



Dalton Public Schools Web site

Weather-Related Closings

“Due to an alert from the national weather service on February 8, 2010, Dalton Public Schools will dismiss all students early — elementary 12:15 p.m. and grades 6-12 at 1:15 p.m. There will be no after-school-program today.”

— Posted Monday morning at about 11 a.m.



It would easy to be sarcastic at this point and say, “That was one son-of-a-gun of a winter storm we got yesterday afternoon and we are glad all of our school students were safely back at their homes drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies by the time it hit.”

But, in truth, based on public reaction to the decisions made by the school districts during the snow and sleet storm that struck on Jan. 29, we knew this would happen.

The next time the National Weather Service even hinted at snow, the schools would be forced to close early because they couldn’t afford not to.

They couldn’t afford to have buses trying to deliver students home in the middle of a wintry mix that can turn many of the local roads virtually impassible in no time flat.

They couldn’t afford to have parents waiting for hours for their children to get back home.

They reacted to the clear will of the public and chose to end school early, despite the fact that the weather did not appear to be that threatening. They did it because we told them to do that.

Better safe than sorry is a sound policy when you are dealing with children.

But now that we have experienced what might be best described as the two extremes of winter weather decision making, perhaps we can all take a deep breath.

Yes, the schools need to be in close touch with the weather service, as they were on Monday, but we also need to give officials room to make good decisions.

We need to assume that the schools have the safety and best interests of our children, and their staffs, at heart, and that officials have taken the lessons from two weeks ago to heart.

So throw another log on the fire and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Or not.



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