Schools Close--people complain
Schools Don't Close--people complain
Schools Don't Announce Early that they are Closed--people complain

"YOU CAN PLEASE SOME OF THE PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME, BUT NOT ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME"

Norman Schools pulled the plug about 6 am

I woulda been fine with a telly announcement rather than the house phone and the cell going off within 30 seconds of each other via the auto-dial. I was up, but the lovely was not.

Norman Schools pulled the plug about 6 am

I woulda been fine with a telly announcement rather than the house phone and the cell going off within 30 seconds of each other via the auto-dial. I was up, but the lovely was not.

The local school has our number listed for an hispanic family whose kids apparently cut class all the time. We've told them to change it but they don't so I keep calling them to tell them that Junior's parents have NOT been notified but I hope he gets his homework done. We got a spanish speaking message right at 6:00 this morning. It is a bad feeling for the phone to ring at 6:00 in the morning when your kids aren't home. We THINK they were cancelling school but aren't sure.

The whole thing is stupid. The news hyped up an ice storm and everyone is acting like they are preparing for Y2K all over again. Now, there is nothing wrong with being prepared, but people have literally lost their minds over the potential of an ice storm.

IT'S WINTER PEOPLE, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS!! IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!!

Signed,

Born in Michigan

becka, maybe you don't realize it, but ice is a completely different story than snow. snow can be cleared and driven on carefully. trust me, i know. i lived in utah for a while. but ice is a different monster. 2-3 years ago, the big ice storm we got, made my neck of the woods down here in norman look like it got bombed. we were without power for 10 days. trees and power lines everywhere.
and after the snowstorm on christmas eve, they are making sure people know about this one and are prepared. so no, it isn't stupid. i'm glad they let us know so now i'm prepared to be without power for a while if it happens.

The whole thing is stupid. The news hyped up an ice storm and everyone is acting like they are preparing for Y2K all over again. Now, there is nothing wrong with being prepared, but people have literally lost their minds over the potential of an ice storm.

IT'S WINTER PEOPLE, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS!! IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!!

Signed,

Born in Michigan

A lot of us are just having fun, Becka. We think this stuff is cool but do worry about people who have to be out in it or lose power.

I'm perfectly aware that ice is different than snow. I was here in the ice storm of 2007 and I was without power for 5 days. I said there is nothing wrong with being prepared. I'm glad the news is warning people too, it's people's reactions to the news that have been stupid, because they are acting like it's the end of the world and it's some new phenomenon that they have never seen before.

It's ice and snow, because it's winter. It's not the first time in history that it's happened, you should know how to deal with it by now without losing your mind. There is no need to fight over the last can of soup at the grocery store.

Plenty of soup at my grocery store...but they were nearly out of bagged salad.

People buy strange things.

I got my call about 6:15...I'd been up for 30 minutes and had showered already and was planning to go in. Yesterday we figured we'd have until at least lunch but it came sooner than some predicted. We don't have buses--the kids have to get there through metro transport, carpools, parents, or their own vehicles, and when that's the case, you just don't want kids out; they have no clue how to drive on this (though, does anyone really know how to drive on it, really?).

I'd rather the announcement be a little late than not at all.

Plenty of soup at my grocery store...but they were nearly out of bagged salad.

People buy strange things.
...

Our basics are typically already in place, but we noticed some runs in our area here as well. For us, we recognize as well there's waiting things out and then there's planning to hunker down with style. We're opting for the latter this time around.

Far be it from me to jump into this, but just had an observation. Four days after the snow has stopped, and they are still having to cancel school?

I would be interested in know exactly what their reasoning is and if it is still related to residential areas not being clean?

I'm wondering exactly how many trucks are still out cleaning roads or if they are all parked and just waiting for mother nature to handle it?

Far be it from me to jump into this, but just had an observation. Four days after the snow has stopped, and they are still having to cancel school?

I would be interested in know exactly what their reasoning is and if it is still related to residential areas not being clean?

I'm wondering exactly how many trucks are still out cleaning roads or if they are all parked and just waiting for mother nature to handle it?

They haven't even made a run at the roads in my neck of the woods.

The City only concentrates on major streets. They don't have the equipment or manpower to clear residential or neighborhood streets.

The City only concentrates on major streets. They don't have the equipment or manpower to clear residential or neighborhood streets.

I'm talking South Council. Yesterday, it was ice packed - even the tire marks didn't go all the way to the pavement.

The City only concentrates on major streets. They don't have the equipment or manpower to clear residential or neighborhood streets.

I guess my point is, with no new precip falling for days - the main primary/secondary roads should be squeaky clean by now. If they aren't, then they need to look at improving how they spend their time. So while they may not have the equipment or manpower to clear the residential areas immediately after the storm...4 days later, when it is still causing school closings, they need to get off their dead butts and get it done. You do the job until it is done completely...you don't just stop because, well, its not a primary artery.

I guess my point is, with no new precip falling for days - the main primary/secondary roads should be squeaky clean by now. If they aren't, then they need to look at improving how they spend their time. So while they may not have the equipment or manpower to clear the residential areas immediately after the storm...4 days later, when it is still causing school closings, they need to get off their dead butts and get it done. You do the job until it is done completely...you don't just stop because, well, its not a primary artery.

When it's impossible to clear all of the streets, who decides ? and how do you pick a starting point ?

What is so crazy about this is that back years ago it took a record breaking snow fall like the one we had over Christmas to close the schoold down. Now if one snowflake falls, schools start closing.

You cannot really blame the schools their in a no win situation. If they don't close they are going here about from every over protective parent in the city. If they close, they are going to here about it from all the other parents in June when most people schedule their vacations.

I honestly think a better option would be to start having online classes for snow days. Most people have a computer with high speed internet access. The few that do not could be given gently used desktops or notebooks with wireless cards. You could restrict the wireless cards to certain hours and certain programs.

... you don't just stop because, well, its not a primary artery.

Actually, that's pretty much what they do. Not saying it oughta be that way, but I also don't wanna speculate on the additional cost to go into every bit of OKC, urban and rural alike, to get the roads kid friendly. Shoot, I don't wanna consider the cost for Norman for that matter.

I tend to think that the school system's overly cautious attitude in recent years has more to do with the fear of a child slipping and falling on ice on their property, exposing them to lawsuit potential, than it does with the child's actual safety.