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Yeah-I agree if the schools can't keep the buildings comfortably warm. I'm guessing Chicago area schools have suitable climate control. Is 0 that far outside the norm for Chicago winters?
Wind chill factors have been far below zero several times over the past two winter seasons. The other night we saw -15 temps at the time many students would have been walking to school. I live in Pennsylvania. To my knowledge, this is not the norm. I've lived here my entire life.
It depends geographically... Here, absolutely not. One of my nephews who goes to a private school had to go to school in -50F(with windchill).
Public schools are one thing when people have to stand outside to wait for a bus, while private schools that do not offer buses have no excuse. As I said it depends on the visibility and weather conditions, the nature of the school, the geographical location, etc. If schools don't have heating then that's definitely understandable.
They should leave the decisions to the judgment of the school.
We've had numerous delays this year and last year because of bitter cold weather. I don't have a problem with this because we have a high proportion of walking students. What I do take issue with is the fact that the school won't have the building open for early arrivals. I understand we live in a sue-happy paranoid culture but it drives me crazy to see adults standing around in a warm building while little ones shiver and freeze outside.
There are just too many factors. Down south...yeah thinking we couldn't manage it at all. Kids wouldn't even have proper clothing. But some places it gets cold like that a lot and so people adjust for it. If Chicago did it, I'm sure they had a reason unique to their situations.
I live in a suburb of Chicago, and it's warmed up to a toasty 3 degrees (-11 with the wind). This morning it was -7 and closer to -30 with the wind. It's nasty out. But the schools around here are all open. They closed earlier this month, the Monday after the Super Bowl. It was very windy and bitter outside. It's not just the wind; when the air is damp like this and it's gusty, it goes right through your clothes into your bones. I think schools have to consider not just their students, but the safety of their teachers and administrators and their families. Sometimes they just tell everyone to stay home. No big deal, we just tack a day on at the beginning of June.
There are just too many factors. Down south...yeah thinking we couldn't manage it at all. Kids wouldn't even have proper clothing. But some places it gets cold like that a lot and so people adjust for it. If Chicago did it, I'm sure they had a reason unique to their situations.
I'm "down south", in the Atlanta metro. This morning the wind chill/air temps were close to zero. Schools are open, but after school activities are canceled. If I had a child who had to wait outside for a bus, I'd be tempted to let them skip the day. However, in an area that will shut down on the possibility (not probability) of snow and ice, there needs to be a cut-off point. I think most parents are fine with the schools opening in the cold.
I lived for some years in the snowiest city in the US. During the winter of 2010, I believe, we had 120 inches of snow in December alone. Zero snow days for the snow...
But.....we did have a couple of "snow days" later on in the season when the wind chill was below -20. That seems to be their formula. Road superintendent gives advice on the condition of the roads...they usually try to make sure they get them opened by 6 a.m. and then make a decision about school; weatherman assists in the decision when it involves wind chill. Formula is 20 below wind chill and the school is automatically closed.
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