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Old 01-15-2009, 08:33 PM
 
Location: Memphis
952 posts, read 3,706,179 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gdude View Post
I am not a parent but a High School Student. I thought I would ask a question. Would you send your children to school in sub zero temperatures? Here in the Indianapolis area it was -14 degrees with a windchill of -31 and we only had a 2 hour delay and still had to go to school. Todays high here was only -4. Tomorrow's high temp is expected to be 2 with a low of -18 degrees and a possible windchill of -26. Tomorrow we have a 2hr delay also. So Would you send your kid(s) to school in sub zero temperatures?


I know that you rather stay home. I am from Sweden and I remember growing up that we had a steady 5 F outside for months at the time.( nov - Feb ) So I just brought my snow racer to school so I had something to do on my lunch brake, if we didn't have a snowball war between my school and the neighboring school.
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Old 01-15-2009, 08:38 PM
 
Location: NE Oklahoma
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YES!!!! We live in Oklahoma and it isn't regularly that cold here. We get a few days below zero but NOT MANY. We are more likely to have below freezing. My girls walk to school most days but on really bad days my sister comes by and picks them up so they don't have to walk. They walk home unless someone can go pick them up if it is snowing or raining.
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Old 01-15-2009, 09:00 PM
 
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most school systems i know of do not have a proper heating system... like the many i went to, go from one extremely hot classroom, to a lukewarm hallway, to a classroom that you need a coat in to stay warm... and thats during normal winter temps... 10 - 30 degrees... so... no i would not send my child into a school if it was the tempatures you are speaking of, and i think that is one thing you all need to take into consideration before being a typical adult and going "yeah... education is more important than health", now if you know that the school does have a decent heating system then yeah id say school could continue as normal, however parents should be forgiven for going into work late and coming home early if need be and be at the bus stop with the warm car waiting for the bus, and the school should provide transportation for ALL students more than 4 blocks away, i was a walker, had to walk almost a full mile to school, and in normal weather conditions it was acceptable, however there were a few extreme days where since the school did not provide transportation, if my mother could not get the car started, i stayed home
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Old 01-15-2009, 11:20 PM
 
Location: In a delirium
2,588 posts, read 5,432,150 times
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Russians go to school every day when it's that cold. Someone from Sweden mentioned going to school daily in crazy cold temps. And, the Russians and Scandinavians are some pretty smart people, meaning they learned. I bet those living in Alaska go to school a lot in those temps.

Mind you, I lived in Russia, so I know what cold means. I don't like it, but dress warmly and you can make it to school just fine. So, yes, I'd send my children to school in those temperatures.
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Old 01-15-2009, 11:37 PM
 
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Yes. The kids are equipped for it. First of all, they have a thicker brown-fat layer that helps their body stay warmer. Secondly, we are talking about areas where kids have snowpants and jackets, multiple mittens and hats, and scarves--and that is just the outside layer. Now I understand about the less fortunate kids, but everywhere I have lived in the north had major drives to collect winter gear for needy children. Perhaps if an extreme cold-snap happens in an area that normally doesn't have it... but places like Iowa, which is a little warmer, were having two-hour delays to help with the cold factor.

As for the "poor little kiddie" factor, I lived in a small cabin without electricity or plumbing in the far north when my first son was born (Nov. birthday). It was an extremely cold winter that year as well, and every morning from January through February, our thermeter read -20 --AT LEAST! It got down to -60 at one point in the middle of the night and we had quite a few mornings at -30 and a couple at -40 (which, I may add, is when the outhouse is really cold). All of these temps are without windchill added in. Did I keep my two month old son in the entirety of winter? Hell no! I took precautions--I warmed up the car beforehand, bundled hiim up, laid a blanket over him, and a carseat cover over that and away we went to work everyday. If a two month old can take it, so can an eight year old. Kids wait in the houses or in cars at bus stops, busses wait longer to leave time for kids to run from the house to the bus, etc.
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Old 01-15-2009, 11:45 PM
 
Location: mass
2,905 posts, read 7,349,962 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gdude View Post
I am not a parent but a High School Student. I thought I would ask a question. Would you send your children to school in sub zero temperatures? Here in the Indianapolis area it was -14 degrees with a windchill of -31 and we only had a 2 hour delay and still had to go to school. Todays high here was only -4. Tomorrow's high temp is expected to be 2 with a low of -18 degrees and a possible windchill of -26. Tomorrow we have a 2hr delay also. So Would you send your kid(s) to school in sub zero temperatures?
For me it depends.

If cold temperatures are highly unusual, meaning I don't live in Alaska (can't have the kid out the whole winter),
and it is not likely that such cold temps are going to occur again, AND my child has to wait at a bus stop (for example if he got on the bus after I left for work), and if the school was as cold as some schools I have been to, then YES I might keep my child home.

However, I live in Massachusetts, it doesn't get that cold here, my son doesn't take the bus, he gets dressed properly and gets into a Heated car, driven to school, jumps out of the heated car, runs 15 feet into the heated building, where he stays all day until I come to pick him up and we reverse the process. So, considering the reality of my situation, then NO, I would not keep him out of school. (unless of course his little sister was very ill and I didn't want to bring her out of the house even for a second---then I would keep him home but this scenario isn't very likely).

Now my DD, she is another story. She's in preschool and they don't keep the heat on at night really, they turn it up a bit when they get there and then after all the drop offs they crank it up more. They wait till after the drop offs because every time the front door opens the whole place is freezing. So it is quite cold in there when I drop her off. Slightly annoys me but this is the way they do it there. I am sure it warms up right quick after we all get out but still, this morning it was freezing in there. I'd consider bringing her late but her school is only 4 hours anyway. So in that cold weather, I might bring her later or just skip it altogether. Like I said, she's only in preschool (not even 4 y/o) so different story.

The problem with your post is that like many people who have posted here have said, there are regions of the country who suffer from these cold temps for months. What the heck are they going to do? Stay home all winter?
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Old 01-16-2009, 12:14 AM
 
Location: Sacramento
2,568 posts, read 6,750,868 times
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Wow, I am glad I live in warm weather.
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Old 01-16-2009, 12:25 AM
 
1,156 posts, read 1,968,262 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suzie02 View Post
Wow, I am glad I live in warm weather.
warm is where its at, id be happy if i could move down south again outta this northern mountain crap with its literal feet of snow at a time
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Old 01-16-2009, 12:35 AM
 
2,542 posts, read 6,916,078 times
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I am the absolute opposite--wish I could move back to the snow and away from the horrible summer heat! Although, it is fun calling up family right about now and telling them I'm standing outside in a t-shirt and jeans!
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Old 01-16-2009, 05:52 AM
 
Location: Milwaukee, WI
603 posts, read 2,359,152 times
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In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this is the second day in a row school has been cancelled due to extreme temperatures. It is going to be 40 degrees below 0 today. I'm happy school's canceled as I have a five and three year old and I don't think it's safe to be outside, even to go from the house to the car or the car to the school building. A car or bus can breakdown in this cold weather and frostbite can set in in only 15 minutes. Staff are expected to report to school, but it is cancelled for children.
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