2 Hour Delay

School was delayed two hours today. I heard so many parents question it or call the decision stupid. Honestly, that annoys me to the point that I want to shout "Think, people!" The decision was made for the entire county. Sure, the main roads were fine but there were enough rough patches on the road when I went to work before 8:30 to make me very grateful for the delay. My kids normally get on the bus at 7:10. Their bus then travels over roads with lots of shady hills, curves and bridges. There are places where the 'shoulder' is barely big enough for a car tire to sit on and then it drops away to nothing. Last month, when we had snow and ice a car landed in the creek not too far from our house. They slid down a hill and missed the bridge. The bus carrying my daughters and their schoolmates travels that road. In fact, to get to my house, that road must be traveled. I'm talking about one bus route in particular but I know there are many other buses who travel those same roads or roads like them. Just off the top of my head, I can think of one road that would be one continuous ice patch. It's curve after curve with a gradual climb or descent depending on the direction you're traveling and it only sees sunlight in patches. The road snakes by dozens of old homes in what used to be a mill village. Tall trees shade the road from both sides. I wouldn't want to be a bus driver assigned to travel that road with below freezing temperatures following ice/sleet/snow. The parents who normally take their kids to school sometimes forget about kids who ride the bus and the fact those kids start their journey to school a lot earlier. I know kids who are just rolling out of bed at the time my daughters are getting on the bus.

Decisions to delay or close school are made for the SAFETY of the children not the CONVENIENCE of the parents. Yes, it can be a pain to make those last minute arrangements but I'd rather do that than get a call telling me my children were in an accident. While it's true accidents happen every day, it's also true that the number of accidents spikes when there's ice on the roads.

Just sayin'