Snow days? (Warning: Rant ahead!) With an addendum...

I had to vent so I came here to do it. This may be a precursor to a letter to our school administration.

What are snow days??

I wish I knew!

We had about 5-6" of snow last night, icy conditions, and strong blizzard-force winds with below zero temps that equate to super-cold wind chills. Every district in our area canceled school today. Every single one...EXCEPT OURS!! Well ours and the other two districts we are connected to. The other two districts don't even have school buses of their own and only use a rent-a-bus service for their special needs kids and field trips/sports runs. So our district is the ONLY ONE that had school that sends school buses out in this mess.

I had to drive this morning and it was a nightmare!! The streets aren't cleaned off like they used to be because none of the towns I drive to and through can afford salt and/or the man-hours to do the work. So not only do we have to drive in all the wind and bitter cold but we have to do it on roads that haven't seen a plow or even one crystal of salt! Add the darkness (we got out way before daylight) and the crazy drivers that think it's fun to drive on this stuff and get a big kick out of pulling out in front of a bus, or doing "Louie's" (maybe you call them "donuts") in the streets, and you have a real carnival!!

I can't help but wonder what it is that makes the powers-that-be in our district think it's wise to send us out in this sort of weather and risk the lives of all these kids, drivers, teachers, custodians, and other staff that have to come to work in this mess, when every other district takes a snow day, the police are warning people to stay off the roads unless it's an emergency to go out and that the forecast only promises worse and worse conditions as the day goes by. Could it be the state aid money they might miss if we missed a day of school? No, wait, that can't be it...they always ALWAYS make up snow days in May or June. Can it be the money they get having the school day in January instead of June? No that can't be it, either...because we have way lower attendance on days like this than a beautiful day in June. Could it be that it's because the administrator's don't have to drive in this? THAT'S IT!!! They don't even come in to work on bad days, for the most part. And sadly, most of our administrators don't even know where the bus barn is, let alone what we have to deal with on a regular day...and heaven forbid...on a snowy icky weather day! We've invited them to come ride with us on good days...but they never do.

The funny things is, they tell parents that if they don't want to send their kids on bad days, that's their call, but in the same breath they tell parents that they will be penalized if their kids miss too much school and they'll be taken to task, even arrested if their child's truancy gets too bad.

The only lemonade I can make out of these lemons is that I have to admit that the snow is beautiful and I see some pretty scenes on my bus route, but I'd much rather miss them, than have to be out in the dangerous conditions with little kids in my care. These are some photos I took on my way home this morning.

This isn't a road I drive the bus on...it's probably one of the best I saw today!

County road with a snow plow coming my way!



This is the way most of the roads looked that I drove on.



See,it is pretty!






I pretty much love my job, but this part is the thing I hate the most about my job.

It makes me want to retire!

The wind chill is supposed to be -30° and lower tomorrow.

Please pray for us.

Addendum: I made it home on a wing and a prayer...and got some news when I went in to work this afternoon....Wow, I can't believe this but the school administrators canceled school for tomorrow!! And they did it today!!! That has NEVER EVER happened in my lifetime!! Not even when I was going to school as a kid in this district...the parents must have raised hell bigtime today! Every parent, teacher and staff member I talked to today was complaining. I told them all to call the school board or the admin building and complain to them. They are also talking about starting school 2 hours late on Friday if the weather is so bad. Or they may call off school that day too. If they do, we'll have a 5-day weekend due to Monday being M.L.King day. Kathy: I don't know about the teacher's union, but we have a no-strike clause in our contract! But it does't say anything about blue-flu!! Hahaha