Dead presidents to County: How dare you open!
published 2:19pm Monday Feb 15, 2010
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A giant swath of snow hangs off the roof of Sutherland Middle School February 13, two days before students returned after a nearly two-week, snow-induced hiatus.PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER
“Buses are currently arriving at our elementary schools, and will run their middle and high school routes as they arrive at those schools.” So says Albemarle County Schools spokesperson Maury Brown shortly after 2pm Monday, February 15, in an automated message to parents on the day that was originally scheduled as a student holiday to honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but put back in play after over two weeks of weather-related cancellations.
Brown also said on her message that after-school programs were canceled but that the extended-day enrichment program will run until 6pm and that the budget public hearing would go on that night as planned. Ironically, the bulk of the snowfall ceased around the time the young ones were extricated from the halls of learning.
Albemarle students got zero schooling last week, and the prior week they got just four hours (on a delayed-start Thursday). Before that, they lost time for a non-snow and then for a flood.
Superintendent Pam Moran reveals her “I always will err on the side of caution” thinking on the open v. close conundrum on her blog, and the actual voice of closure, Albemarle transportation chief Josh Davis, tells all to the Daily Progress on a rural road trip taken on Valentine’s Day.
As for Charlottesville City Schools, future make-up days include teacher workdays Friday, March 12; Friday, April 2; plus Friday June 11. Albemarle has all those and more— all the way to June 17, and there are still two missing days that may need to be dealt with, says County spokesperson Brown.
Interestingly, one of these two days stems, she says, not from snow but from the Republican primary to pick the man to challenge incumbent Congressman Tom Perriello. As schools shut down on June 8 to become polling places (and tensions flare over delayed vacations), Republicans may question the wisdom of that endeavor.
–last updated 1:26pm, Tuesday, February 16
And as punishment we sent more snow; defying tradition is never a good idea. Let this be a lesson.
Good luck getting the kids home is all I can say right now. Pretty serious wreck on Scottsvuille Road with 2 adults and a 17 month old pinned in a car. And Earlysville Road closed because cars kept sliding off the road at twin bridges.
Let’s call the ACC home office and get them to cancel the UNC/UVA women’s basketball game tonight. If Maryland can get away with it then so can we!
Maybe we’re being too hard on our administrators for closing school all last week; according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review “after the blizzard dumped 2 feet of snow on the region..26,000 students will return to class today–weather permitting– after being off all last week.”
Blame it on North Atlantic Oscillation–for weather junkies only !
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_667200.html
Confused, I don’t think Maryland “got away” with canceling anything–isn’t that game scheduled to be played tonight? It was simply rescheduled.
Hoolarious, they cancelled the game after our team was already in MD to play the game. Now we have to play 3 games in 5 days.
yeah, I’m aware of the chain of events. it’s not a cancellation if it’s rescheduled. and why would we want to “cancel” the women’s game against UNC? I think our women are excited to play tonight.
Hoolarious - why are you splitting hairs? If you don’t play the game on the date/time it is scheduled then it is “cancelled”. Whether it is scheduled again for a later date is another matter.
My elementary kid got home 20 minutes later than normal and my HS and middle school kids both got home an hour late. So much for early dismissal…