School closings
- Lawrence public and private schools have canceled classes.
- Lawrence's Veritas Christian School earlier announced it also has canceled classes.
- Private schools have also canceled classes: Sunshine Acres Montessori School, Montessori Children's House, Montessori Discovery Place, Raintree Montessori, St. John Catholic School, Corpus Christi Catholic School and Bishop Seabury.
NE Kansas district closings
- USD 434 Santa Fe Trail
- USD 341 Oskaloosa
- USD 342 McLouth
- USD 343 Perry-Lecompton
- USD 348 Baldwin City
- USD 464 Tonganoxie
- USD 458 Basehor-Linwood
- USD 491 Eudora
- Other districts: Wellsville, Ottawa, West Franklin, Central Heights, Garnett, Osawatomie, Paola, Louisburg
Other Cancelations
- Neighborhood meeting on sanitary sewer project
- Lawrence Memorial Hospital Prenatal class
- Pinnacle Career Institute classes in Lawrence
- Independence Inc. offices in Lawrence
- Lawrence Arts Center: All classes closed; center closes at 4 p.m.
- St. John's Catholic Church: Thursday atrium
- Trinity Lutheran Church: Stephen Ministry class
- Dazzlers Christian Dance no classes tonight
- Neighborhood meeting about Yankee Tank Creek Gravity Sanitary Sewer Line Replacement Project has been postponed
Rescheduling
- Spencer Museum of Art: Public opening and student night for Made in China moved to Thursday, Dec. 7, 6-8 p.m.
Continued winter weather caused Lawrence public schools to announce the cancellation of Thursday classes. The announcement came at 6:15 a.m. (See related story: Weseman takes blame for late school cancellation.)
Nearly a foot of snow was expected to start falling by Thursday afternoon.
"About 2 o'clock this afternoon we start off with some flurries," said Jennifer Schack, 6News Chief Meteorologist. "And for your evening commute, several inches possible on the ground as the snow will pick up in intensity and last through the evening."
The closure of Lawrence public schools means that other private schools - Sunshine Acres Montessori School, Montessori Children's House, Raintree Montessori, St. John Catholic School, Corpus Christi Catholic School and Bishop Seabury - automatically close.
Other closed preschools and daycares in Lawrence included First Presbyterian Church Preschool, Head Start, Lawrence Arts Center Preschool, Montessori Discovery Place Preschool and Princeton Children's Center.
Know of a cancelation? Send us the information at editor@ljworld.com
Comments
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juscin3 (anonymous) says…
Geesh, how long does it take to decide on whether school is goin to be open or closed????
Strontius (anonymous) says…
"the school district Web site advised that if no announcement is made, school will be held. More details as they become available"
Wonderful. So those of us effected by the cancellation get to make our plans at the very last minute. This is really irresponsible on behalf of the Lawrence schools and totally inconsiderate of the hundreds if not thousands of people effected by a cancellation.
juscin3 (anonymous) says…
Strontius, I agree with you on not letting parents know till the last minute. I remember when I was working I had to go through that and figure out what to do. Glad I'm an at home mom now. Best of luck to ya if the kids are out tomorrow.
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says…
That's how it is every day. Unless you're told otherwise, school is in session.
Yes, it's chilly, yes, it was kind of icy. But nothing that happened today merits a school closing.
sweetmliss68 (anonymous) says…
Well maybe so Dazie, and it's not even that I disagree with you. The point is IF they are going to close it, they need to do so the night before. More often than not they wait until the wee hours of the morning when it's too late for normal working people to make arrangements.
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says…
I'm pretty sure they're not closing.
Granted- it is a poorly worded statement.
sweetmliss68 (anonymous) says…
Well let's just say I'm sure enough that I've sent my disagreeable children to bed!
afterONE (anonymous) says…
They'll cancel it at 6:30 tomorrow morning. It makes parents love them even more!!!! And of course, the kids love the drama...it's what the live for!!
bleh.
takeastand (anonymous) says…
The National Weather Service says 7 and 13 inches of snow Thursday. I would think that might have an influence on tomorrow
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapC...
chocolateplease (anonymous) says…
It's irresponsible to leave people hanging given the information available by now. Watch the banner on the tv screen and see that every other surrounding district has managed to make a decision. Why is it so difficult to decide?
Pywacket (anonymous) says…
How frickin astute of you, dingus.
If you do not have to deal with waiting until the last moment to know whether you need a sitter, how nice for you. For those who will have to go work regardless, it's a pain to have the decision dangling until the last moment--especially since USD 497 claimed on their website that the decision would be made "hopefully (sic) by 6:00 pm but no later than 10." Nice weasel job. Why even post that teaser if they're only going to renege? Or, having posted, why didn't they honor it and make the decision?
And FYI, since your last sentence indicates your failure to understand the point: people are not whining that the schools SHOULD be closed. Many probably hope school will be open, so they won't have to scramble to place their kids for the day.
They're protesting being given the runaround about WHEN the decision will be made--especially since most other area sup'ts were capable of giving their employees and pupils/parents a decision in a timely manner.
DaddyTopCat (Scott Kaiser) says…
Back in the 60's and 70's when I lived in Lawrence and went to the schools there, I can remember only a small handful of times school was cancelled. Maybe only 3-4 times in a 13 year time period. Oh well, now I live in Georgia and it was in the mid 60's today......
sweetmliss68 (anonymous) says…
Nicely put pywacket! That was the point I so miserably failed at making. It's not that we want school to be cancelled. It's that we want a decision to be made in a timely fashion. And I guess I'm looking at the wrong website for the weather, the most accumulations I've seen is 1-4 inches. Unfortunately I'm not as fortunate as most people. We don't have the luxury of cable television.
Pywacket (anonymous) says…
sweetmliss68~ I think you made the point just fine--some people just like to be disagreeable or condescending.
I was surprised to read takeastand's post, too, about the heavy snow expected. He posted the same website I have been monitoring all day but... lo and behold, they had dramatically changed their prediction at 10:06. They had previously been calling for a light snow, as you noted.
I will be surprised if we get that much--seems they always promise it and I'm always disappointed. ;-)
But that does change the equation for tomorrow. It would be annoying to everyone if school were held, then the kids sent home early due to blizzardlike conditions (high winds are also expected).
Stay snug, everybody!
graylanternlizard (anonymous) says…
They just need to make a decision and post it. I could care less if school is open or closed........ I would venture to say the lack of communication by the school district indicates a lack of concern for the parents of Lawrence with children in the public system. Parents want a decison and USD 497 see our quest for an answer trivial. Poor managment concerning this issue.
bankboy119 (anonymous) says…
I just checked www.weather.com and it's still saying only 1-3 inches tomorrow here in L-Town.
My thoughts are that school should be cancelled because you are going to have students from the country who are unable to get in to go to school safely tomorrow. You can't argue that since most people are okay then school should be held. If Lawrence actually took the time for what benefitted most people then a lot of things would be different :) Have to look out for the minority.
Currahee (anonymous) says…
Well, I heard the main roads are clear so as long as they drive slowly then it should be fine but yes I also vent my frustration at the board for not making a decision early.
Regardless of how much we get, we're still under the Heavy Snow Warning and it'll snow a lot after 12PM on Thursday. The board may just wait it out a bit because it doesn't know what to do. As we can see there's a big storm headed this way and the question probably is: Should it close today or tomorrow?
Certainly having it snow at 12PM won't help the situation, but then again it won't snow until 12PM when there's only 2-3 hours of school remaining.
sunflower97 (Amy Bartle) says…
Last year a bus carrying children home on an icy day kept sliding down a steep residential hill near my home. It could have run over a pedestrian or hit another car. It's crazy that they don't go ahead and make the decision to close.
Pywacket (anonymous) says…
bankboy and Currahee~ Yeah, there's a lot of conflicting info out there. NOAA is still saying heavy snow, but other sites show less. Regardless, all the other districts in the area seem to have made a decision. It's inconsiderate of Lawrence to keep so many people hanging.
Since we live a distance away, I've decided to make the call myself and will be keeping mine home. Morning should not be bad, as it looks like the freezing rain has moved on and there will be time for street crews to make the roads driveable. But if NOAA is correct and heavy snow moves in between 9 and noon, I would rather my kids be safe than trying to drive home with poor visibility and accumulating snow--which may quickly pack down into a slick coating on the roads.
We get so little snow here... what's the harm in playing it safe when we actually have some winter weather. If they have to go a day or two extra in May, who cares?
crazyks (anonymous) says…
Just in case nobody else knows, Ch 5 has announced that Ottawa schools are closed tomorrow.
fralouffa (anonymous) says…
USD 497 is closed. snow day.
KSChick1 (anonymous) says…
well, of course they also say they'll tell us by 6 am an the announcement just came through at 6:15 that schools are closed
didn't close KU though so I guess I'll go to work
I heard up to 8 iches of snow starting this morning but what I expect is about 2-3 inches
par for the course in *several* areas...always told there's a lot more on it's way than what *really* happens
read into that what you want
ctutgo (anonymous) says…
Does anyone know......When Ottawa school district closes, does Neosho Co. Community College (Ottawa campus) close automatically as well?
momof4 (anonymous) says…
Good job, USD 497. I had quit checking at 6 (since the announcement was supposed to be by then),got my daughter up for zero hour and she was on her way out the door, when a friend called. I feel sorry for the kids out in the county that had already started out for school. Come on Randy, make a decision when you say you will.
aha (anonymous) says…
'bout dang time!
hilary (anonymous) says…
They did not post any major districts until this morning. Often, districts are pooled together, and cancel together, such as Shawnee Mission/Blue Valley/Olathe. Lawrence will often stay open even when those districts close.
Although a late announcement does not give parents time to prepare, makes kids do their homework anyway, and teachers scurry, trying to reschedule plans, it truly shows that this town cares about their education. As of last night, we did not need a cancellation. We have learned from the past that the weather predictions are not always the final word. And plus, it still gives us all a little excitement to see that glorious #497 wave across the screen while eating our cereal first thing in the morning.
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says…
Well hot dog! I'm glad to be wrong this time. :)
6mom (anonymous) says…
I was getting ready to get my small children up to catch the 7:00 bus when I thought I might check it out. Much like the rest of you we stayed up into the wee hours last night waiting for somebody to make a decision. I was really contemplating making the call myself due to them being on a school bus. Glad someone finally decided what the rest of the general population had figured out hours ago.
mommaeffortx2 (anonymous) says…
ok at 630am channel six had ku closed then by 700am it was off the list come on guys make life a little harder for people why don't you.
mommaeffortx2 (anonymous) says…
by the way grumble grumble put in a few choice words and grumble grumble some more. Was trying tosleep in when sis called before 7 needs a baby sitter for her two cuz ku did not shut down
mommaeffortx2 (anonymous) says…
well I guess I can shampoo my carpet now yippie
poolside (anonymous) says…
Does anyone know what time the school bus drivers are supposed to report to work? I was seriously wondering whether the decision was based on how many no shows there were.
VoiceOfReason (anonymous) says…
I'm the last person to side with or defend decisions of the school board...or with meteorologists, for that matter. But I have to side with them at least a little on this one. Having to close school for any reason can really screw up the schedule for the rest of the year...they plan for a certain number of days and, if there are more than that, for any reason (like the power outage at South J.H. a couple of months ago), they have to adjust times, add days, etc, to meet the state requirements for school days. That can seriously screw up plans that families make later in the school year. I can understand being very hesitant to cancel, for that reason.
The other reason I sympathize with the difficulty making that decision is that it is VERY hard to predict, with a lot of accuracy, what type of winter weather is going to occur and when. I get really irritated when meteorologists can't forecast rain pretty accurately 12 hours in advance, but my first degree was in meteorology and I know that forecasting snow is difficult. No one would complain if they forecast 0.4 inches of rain and we got 0.7, instead. But that small increment in rain can add up to 5, or more, additional inches of snow at low temperatures like we have now. And a "wobble" of 20 miles in the movement of a low pressure center moving in from 600 miles away can cause the difference between a full-blown blizzard and flurries. I can imagine, with the weather guys on TV not agreeing on what's going to happen today (some are still predicting 10 inches, some are back-tracking to 3 now) that school officials want to wait until they have some kind of consensus before canceling.
It turned out that the roads in Lawrence were actually cleared pretty well last night (for the first time I can recall in my 17 years here! LOL) and the morning driving conditions don't necessarily justify cancellation. I think they based their decision to cancel on the "Heavy Snow Warning" that the NWS placed us in. But that is starting to look a little 'iffy', and it really could end up being a wasted day off that could have been important later this year.
Honestly, I can't imagine that the guy who makes the final decision really wanted to get up at 5:00, drive around town, and listen to multiple meteorologists disagree about the forecast instead of just calling it last night. I'm sure (s)he would have liked to sleep in today, too. But I just don't think it's that easy.
Just my 200 cents...LOL.
dorothyhr (Dorothy Hoyt-Reed) says…
VoiceofReason
What part of Lawrence do you live in? My husband called to tell me that our street is like an ice rink. We're always one of the last to get treated, but I'll bet there are a lot of residential streets that haven't been treated. It's just less dangerous if you don't have teenage drivers on the road, and the traffic in general is less, so it's easier for those poor souls who do have to go to work.
bearclaws (anonymous) says…
Heading to KC a little earlier than usual this morning, I stopped at Zarco on 23rd by the bus company. Lots of cars streaming in at 6:00, and drivers out there getting ready to go. After hearing about the closing on the radio, I wondered how many buses were already on the roads.
Not too bad of a drive, but be careful! I'm taking a half day to get home from the mess! Personally, I hope for a late-minute shift to the west and north, and we get a foot of snow. If it's going to snow, might as well get dumped on and shut down the whole town and have some much needed play time.
tankernav (anonymous) says…
I cannot believe how irresponsible the district has been in calling this late. Like so many others I have carefully watched for the closing, made plans and then at 6:00 am when they still had not called it I went off to work only to have them make a last minute change.
Most of us are not upset about having or not having school but the manner in which this was handled.
You have jepordized the safety of children by leaving them with out childcare arrangements.
I have been a lawrence resident for 35 years and I have never complained but this time I am very upset with how this has been handled.
There needs to be a time deadline that is followed. You have the welfare of thousand relying your your good judgement.
VoiceOfReason (anonymous) says…
I live in Prairie Park. The roads here aren't spotless. But they're driveable with a little common sense. I live by a sometimes-dangerous intersection and no one has had any trouble today around here. My husband had to drive diagonally across the entire town today to get to work and it took him 2 minutes longer than normal and the main roads were in good shape. The strong winds last night (and today, I guess...bleech!) helped to dry out some of the areas with heavier traffic (23rd, Iowa, 6th, etc). I certainly wouldn't argue that the roads are ideal. But a little common sense and slowing down a little can make it pretty safe. I know a lot of people lack that, nowadays, but I really don't like the idea of canceling stuff to protect the morons who will just go joy-riding to do "donuts" later anyway. To me, that's just another example of the government stepping in to protect people from themselves.
My point, though, was not that they shouldn't have canceled school. I don't really have a problem with that. My point was just that I can understand why it can take awhile to decide (at least until morning, to see how the road crews handled the streets overnight) and I would cut them a little slack for taking some time to make the decision. Although not perfect, by any means, the roads really were way better than I expected this morning.
JovianaRex (anonymous) says…
They made a statement on their website, NO later than 10PM. And school was left OPEN. Make a choice, USD 497, either be prepared to honor the statements you make, OR DON'T make them. Say you're going to wait until the last minute if that's what you're going to do. You, as a district need to demonstrate the kind of ethic which you daily try to instill, (so admirably I might add,) in our children. Thank you.
juscin3 (anonymous) says…
I woke up around 4am and was up till 6am. Waiting to see if the kids had school. Went to bed, hubby woke me up, then I called both schools my kids go to. My daughter's school, someone answered and said that they announced school closure at 6:19am. I agree, if they are goin to say that they are goin to make an announcement, which from what I read was "we will make a decision before 6pm and not later than 10pm," they need to stick to it. I'm an at home mom now, and I do know what it's like to not know till the last minute when I was working. It's very aggravating. I know that even if school was open today, I was keepin my kidlets home.
Our roads look slippery and the side road here doesn't look any better and I even seen a truck come by to do that main road.
abe_froman (anonymous) says…
when i was in school, they usually made a decision in the morning if school would be closed due to weather. it's not out of line or uncommon to wait until the morning to make a decision. where i lived, the superintendent made the call based on this: "can the school buses drive in this weather in these conditions?" they would then test it. if the buses were fine, we'd have school. if not, school was canceled. and it wasn't even a rural community with a lot of out of town busing.
my2girls (anonymous) says…
Hey momof4 we did the same thing. If a friend had not called us she would have gone to zero hour too!
Voiceofreason I live in Indian Hills and the side streets are awful. Even Alabama which is a highly used street is very iced packed and slick. School should have been cancelled last night!
juscin3 (anonymous) says…
When I called my daughters school. The person that answered the phone said that he drove from Baldwin and that the roads were the worse he had ever seen. He said that it was slick.
Glad that they did cancel school. I understand that they have to wait and decide, but all in all, it should have been done last night like the newspaper were told.
livingkate (anonymous) says…
Apparently OSU in Stillwater, OK is closed today, and that is about 200 miles south of us. I don't know why KU thinks its okay to hold classes on the steepest hill in Lawrence with 1/4" of ice on the ground. I used to climb the hill on 12th street in the ice and people would literally be sliding down on their butts from class.
motomom (anonymous) says…
we live way out southwest and we left our house at 6:10 (she has zero hour and my job starts at 7:00)
we pulled up to LHS and my daughter went in and came
right back out......school had been called off.
next time i sure hope they let us know sooner..there were several other
kids pulling up to school, too and had no idea........
i guess i shouldn't be surprized with our school officals. hum.
yourworstnightmare (anonymous) says…
Veritas has canceled classes? Too bad.
The war on science and the teaching of creationism as science will have to wait for another day.
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
Parents can choose to keep their kids home due to the weather, and if I lived in the country or if my kids had a zero hour, I probably would have kept them home.
You can't always leave it up to the district to make decisions concerning your safety to school.
The kids wanted the school to make a decision last night, but it doesn't matter to me.
Rancho (anonymous) says…
Let's see.....sidewalks covered in ice.....temp 18 degrees...wind blowing 20mph....snow forcast to start before end of school day....can't go deer hunting(they don't move in this weather, trust me, I have studidly braved this many times).
Stayed up late, got up early, checked one more time at 6:10. Seriously considered keeping them home anyway.Watched TV and saw it at 6:45!
Randy, your ears are on fire!
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
It looks like every school in the Kansas City area is closed today. And if it snows, schools would probably be closed tomorrow. My kids are hoping for snow.
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
It isn't even going to snow one inch.
jrhighmom (anonymous) says…
I kept trying to see if a decision was made last night by 10:00 pm as was stated, no decision. Up this morning checked tv local channel 6 at 6:15, nothing. Couldn't get on the website for usd497. Got kids up, got everyone ready to go, got to Freestate and found out after traveling behind someone going 20 MPH that , Guess what? no school! There's got to be a better decision-making process, earlier than 6:15 , the word was NOT out by 6:15 a.m.
momof4 (anonymous) says…
TOB, I have to agree with you, 1 inch at most. I'd be tickled if it was much more, but the weather people seem to like to prepare us for the worst, so we're happy when it's much less.
StirrrThePot (anonymous) says…
Oh come on--they have to wait until the last minute. If they make the decision the night before and then find out the next morning they really could have had school that's another day wasted--they already gave up every Wednesday afternoon for "inservice" you know.
dbrm4ever2006 (Bobbi Reid) says…
I just checked weather.com and they are still forcasting 1-2 today, and then another 4-6 overnight... We were also up at 6, and were ready to leave at 7,when I jumped online and saw they had closed school. I too will be calling Randy to complain...
Gootsie (anonymous) says…
I admire all of you parents who went ahead and took your kids. You've stressed importance of school to them. They learned a lot this morning.
Azure_Attitude (anonymous) says…
I would have like earlier and ccorrect information. I saw that KU was closed at 6:30 then at 7:15 when I looked again it wasn't on the list. Also, the newsman was announcing that KU, Haskell and Baker were all holding classes so I had to drive my son up the hill since we were given bad intel earlier.
Not all roads in Prairie Park are fine. My street is the pits. 27th street was all good though. Oh, and 13th street between CT and MA was a staight sheet of ice but west of MA it was alright going up and down the hill
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
momof4 (anonymous) says…
NorthLawrenceDude, Stop with the name calling! I never said I thought the weather was too bad. Personally, I think they probably should have gone to school today. What I'm complaining about is the lateness of the decision. Don't wait until after 6am. I stopped checking at 6:10am, when it was said that the district would have announced it by 6 if they were going to close. If Randy would have been out by 5am, I'm sure he would have known by 5:15 that he was going to close the schools.
NorthLawrenceDude (anonymous) says…
momof4, Do you think Randy makes the decision? Get real. He most likely has a team that checks the weather, road conditions, etc. It is not like he gets in his car and drives around a bit and then says "I think I will close the district today". Again, I say get real! Lawrence is a 10,000+ school district, it is not just ONE person making the decision. And yes, there are a lot of idiots out there posting things they know nothing about. If the shoe fits, wear it.
meanbean101 (anonymous) says…
to the original bob-
keep your dayjob and stay away from weather forecasting!
http://www.cnn.com/2006/weather/11/30...
momof4 (anonymous) says…
Northlawrencedude, It's still Randy's decision. I don't care if he has 50 people out driving, he can make sure the decision is made before 6am. He needs to get his "team" moving earlier. He's in charge of this district and it's his resposibility to get the word out earlier. Did conditions change that much from 5am to 6:15am? Also, just because you may think people are idiots, doesn't mean they are. They have just as much right to their opinions as you do. My shoes fit just fine, thanks!
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
I am hearing 1-2 this afternoon, with as much as 6 more tonight. The storm moved a little as it came up through Oklahoma or we would have had more, according to Gary Lezak.
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
Looks like Wichita is right in the middle. I wonder how much they will get.
hockmano (anonymous) says…
You want them to go to school. You don't want them to go to school. Send them. Don't send them. Never leave it up to the school district to keep your children safe! That is the parent's job. Make your own informed decision. Hope it is closed tomorrow too!
I feel for the parents who have small children and no backup daycare, but it is just too nasty outside.
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
Meanbean - I bet my 1 inch is closer to reality than 12 inches! I'm just using reverse psychology on Momma Nature. I've seen this a thousand times living in this area. 12 inches predicted. I get my hopes up stay positive yippee! Then zero to three actual. So, I am NegativeMan today.
mommaeffortx2 (anonymous) says…
it makes a diffrence on choosing yourself because they do not like kids to miss school and it also helps to set up emergancy care for kids. having to call people early in the am is just rude and randy's waiting was even more so and inconsidarate to all the parents that do have to make arrangements.
Snow no snow and take the ice with you but would rather have the snow than ice anyday.
mommaeffortx2 (anonymous) says…
wanderhow long it will take to find about tom. I know we need to wait until the non snow event happens..:)
mommaeffortx2 (anonymous) says…
it's snowing and my six year old is just bouncing all over.
Gareth (anonymous) says…
"I bet my 1 inch is closer to reality than 12 inches!"
Yeah, I'm sure you hear that all the time, The_Original_Bob
graylanternlizard (anonymous) says…
Weseman is quoted as saying "By the time we got the information we needed, it was 15 (minutes) till 6. And by the time our bureaucracy got in place and got it to the media, it was 15 (minutes) after," Weseman said. "I apologize for that. That was the situation. Sometimes that's how it is." I DO NOT consider that last sentence as a viable excuse. He is paid to make it happen!!! He failed!!!! Maybe he can personally contact and apologize to each family that was left scrambling to find viable alternative care for their school children. Other school districts in the area had no problem handling the bureaucracy and giving a decision in a timely manner. This is simply poor management!!! I for one did not care whether school was or was not open....We just needed an answer. The whole situation was a flagrant disregard for the families with children in the public school system.
momof4 (anonymous) says…
oftotheright, I'm not a poor mother that had to get up a 6 to check Randy's decision. I get up before then anyway. My kids are all old enough to stay home by themselves. It's not a matter of making plans for them. I was actually going to use this morning as a learning experience for my daughter. She was on her way out the door (with me) when we got a phone call. I was fine with school being held. My husband works nights and called and said the roads were a little slick, but if we took it slow, she should be fine. We will go out tonight and work with her so she can learn to drive in these conditions. I still stand by the statment that the decision should have been made earlier. I've talked with several parents who were already on the way to school or already there,with their kids for zero hour when they found out. Randy needs to take the whole student body into account when making these decisions. A 6:15 announcement is too late the for the zero hour kids. I wonder what would happen if a kid drove to school, only to find out school was cancelled, then was in a wreck? Should we blame Randy then?
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
Gareth - Shoots and scores!
momof4 - Don't listen to OTTR. He's an expert on everything and everyone else that disagrees with him is an idiot.
irnmadn88 (anonymous) says…
Had to get up at 5:30am to let the dogs out...waited to see if school was in...nothing by 6:00am...I didn't hear school was out until a passerby stopped and told the Crossing Guard on the corner...while I was busy clearing my 80 yards of sidewalk of ice...
momof4 (anonymous) says…
Thanks, TOB
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
I have taken my kids to school in years past only to find out if was cancelled. Big deal, it happens, get over it.
If my husband or I wasn't able to stay home, we had an alternate plan.
It only happens a couple of days a year.
Gootsie (anonymous) says…
TOB and Gareth = Johnny and Ed.
Nicely done, boys!
TBM (anonymous) says…
Not all private schools were closed today...Century School was open!
justthefacts (anonymous) says…
Get a grip people. I too was caught in the "do I stay home or not" delimma. And I guessed wrong this time.... It happens.
However, NO ONE can accurately predict the weather - they get it right about 50% of the time it seems. It's a gamble every time.
Meanwhile, the officials deciding whether to close work or school get chewed out if people aren't told in time, but if they guess wrong and close things down ahead of time and the weather turns out not as bad as predicted people gripe about that too. So they often wait till they are pretty sure what will happen. Thus, they can't win either way.
Bottom line, why don't we each choose for ourselves whether to go to work/school (or keep kids home), or not, based upon what we each think will happen?!
Then , if we guess wrong, we know who to blame! God! LOL.
It's always so much easier to require perfection from other people.....
Harry_Manback (anonymous) says…
I take issue with the fact the KU will NEVER cancel classes at its main campus. I know people who commute from KC and Topeka who had difficulty driving. In my almost 4 years here, they've only cancelled once for that "micro-burst" and one afternoon class. KU should really care more about the well being of its students. I know you can stay home if you want, but I had a test and a paper today, so thank God I only live 1.5 miles away.
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
Century School is on the same schedule as KU.
Currahee (anonymous) says…
Consider the high school students who have Zero hour. I have zero hour and in order to make it I need to leave by 6:30. It's really cutting it close.
BunE (anonymous) says…
Waaaaaa, school wasn't canceled the way I wanted it to be. Waaaaaaaa
Waaaaa, stupid teachers can't teach my kids and get summers off. Waaaaaaaa
Waaaaa, freaking weatherpeople are not accurate, stupid weather. Waaaaaaa
Waaaaa, it snowed and I can't drive a car because I am foolish. Waaaaaaa
Waaaaa, I can't look at the weather and know that it is winter and plan for contingenicies. Waaaaaaa
DonnieDarko (anonymous) says…
OMG! It's now officially a weather crisis: Dazzlers Christian Dance is cancelled for the evening!
aha (anonymous) says…
According to thewebsite, school is cancelled for tomorrow.
Snow Day:
There will be no school in USD 497, Friday, December 1, due to inclement weather.
http://www.usd497.org/
Parents, make your babysitting plans.
irnmadn88 (anonymous) says…
How quixotic this would appear if the Great Blizzard of 2006 doesn't materialize.
dbrm4ever2006 (Bobbi Reid) says…
School being cancelled tomorrow has nothing to do really with the snow.. They are worried about parking lots and sidewalks, that are covered in ice.. For those of you making light of this.. How would you feel if you sent your kids to school, and he or she fell on the ice, and was injured very badly. I am glad, that I am a whining parent that cares about my kids and their safety.
dbrm4ever2006 (Bobbi Reid) says…
exactly, I for one am more worried about my kids, than making a buck..
Kujay1966 (anonymous) says…
After getting up to try to take my kids this morning at 7:20 am this morning, I was driving by the school and found the principal posting a sign stating no school today, normal my kids walk to school down the street. But since it was so cold, I was going to stay home from work , and go into work later. This decision making at after 7:00 in the morning was not fair to the students that actual live close and walk to school, only to find the principal post a no school sign outside ! That decision does not stay within the policy of the school district for USD #497, when the decision was suspose to be made by 10:00, or by 6:00 in the morning. I find that the school district was putting all the students in danger this morning to go by the school and find a sign getting posted!! It will be my suggestion that the school board rewrite the policies & procedures of Incliment Weather, so this will never happen again. Also there is no way that the school district drove around on the roads in Lawrence to come to this decision . I can't wait til when it is time to election new school board members.