Schools and definition of too cold - REALLY?

[Myla]

Let me begin by stating this is in Celcius.
Today in my area it is -20ish, Windchill is -29

NEW School Board policy states:
During the winter season, many parents are concerned about school policy on outdoor recess. It is generally accepted that when the wind chill factor drops below -25°C, students should not go outside for recess. Dufferin-Peel C.D.S.B. Policy uses a wind chill factor of -20° C as a determining factor for modified recess. We ask that students come dressed appropriately with hats, gloves, mittens etc


I remember one year, I drove my son to school and waited with him until it the bell rang because the windchill was only -26. At the time the policy was early entrance or indoor recess if it was a temp of -25 or wind chill of -27.
Called school, no one was allowing any kids to stay indoors.
Honestly, wtf???

Is this just a dumb Canadian thing? I'm thinking yes.

 

[eldirector]

Heck, we had 2-hour delays this week, because the temp was around 10* F (-12* C). Windchill was about 15* colder. Too cold for kids to wait on the bus, I guess. Heaven forbid their parents wait with them, they wait inside, or (gasp) get driven to school!

No idea on the recess policy. I'm guessing it is indoors?

 

[Myla]

Heck, we had 2-hour delays this week, because the temp was around 10* F (-12* C). Windchill was about 15* colder.

delayed why? dangerous conditions?

 

[eldirector]

Evidently. I guess folks haven't heard of mittens around these parts.

Too cold for kids to stand at the bus stop, and I guess too cold to even get the buses started.

 

[Brandon]

One time our township tried to not do a 2 hour delay. Did not work out so well for us because only about 5 buses started out of aprox 200. A couple of hours later and I think we had 7 started. This was after we went in at 430am to start them to have ready by 545 when the first couple of buses roll out.

 

[Myla]

I had a colleague in New Orleans a few years back who forwarded me a FEMA warning they received about dangerousl cold weather alert. From what I can recall it was a warning about skin could freeze instantly and do not travel if you do not need to.

Here is the funny part, it was dropping to 32F

 

[cwillour]

Sounds like what we had growing up in MN. Mandatory outside recess if unless it was below -20* (-28* centigrade) or -30* windchill (-34* centigrade.) You came ready for it or you got cold.

Now it seems like my kids are not allowed outside for recess now when it drops below 20*.

 

[JokerGirl]

Heck, growing up in Calgary, it wasn't unusual for temperatures to hit -40 Celsius most days during the winter, and they never cancelled recess, let alone school. Either your parents took you, or you walked because a bus system was almost unheard of. The kids always used the ridiculous temperature as a reason to cut Luge tunnels out of the icy hill and crazy carpet their way through them. We had one winter in particular where we'd received about 5' of snow overnight. Dad went to open the garage door in the morning, and all we had was about 5 cm of sunlight poking out of the top of the 7-8' snowdrift piled up where the door was.

The kids now are babied way too much, and then people wonder why we're stuck with a society of whiners and people that sue over everything.

Down in Lexington, KY, where my parents are, they cancelled school because they received an 1/8" of snow on the ground. Holy smokes! My parents were floored.

 

[Myla]

When my daughter started living in Thunderbay, spitting distance from MN, she came back to Toronto laughing at us, well me, saying things like "geez mom, this is sweater weather" WELL I was frozen.

In comparison to what we are use to I guess it's all relative.
Oh the REMEMBER WHENs AND the reality of my city
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EQdXyKiFY4

 

[Westside]

you can't let the kids into the school that is how bad things happen they could hurt themselves.

apply purple where you need.

 

[gunner69]

meanwhile in Russia

 

[melensdad]

We had a 2 hour delay earlier this week.

Air Temp was -2 F

Wind chill was -15 to -25 F

We are in the largest geographic (square miles) school district in the state of Indiana. The logic is that the kids should not have to stand outside to wait for the bus in those temperatures. Most of our district is rural farms, sometimes its a 1000' or even quarter mile walk from the house up to the road, bus doesn't stop at each drive, so the kids may have to walk to a neighbor's drive.

Not such a big deal for high school kids, but its a problem for the little kids. Lots of parents sit in their cars at the end of the driveway with their kids waiting for the buses to come.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

One time our township tried to not do a 2 hour delay. Did not work out so well for us because only about 5 buses started out of aprox 200. A couple of hours later and I think we had 7 started. This was after we went in at 430am to start them to have ready by 545 when the first couple of buses roll out.

You don't have them plugged in, or what? I had a decrepit old Thomas that started kinda hard at 14F one morning, but started nonetheless, and I found out the plug had been pulled and it hadn't been plugged in all night.

 

[Adrenaline Junky]

My problem with the delays is, seriously what is two hour delay going to accomplish? It feels just as cold at 9 as it does at 7. When it's that cold a couple of degrees doesn't matter much. Just my opinion.

 

[MrsXtremeVel]

Our school district doesn't delay for cold. However, as long as the temp. or windchill is above 0, we take the kids out to recess. I' ve actually had kids show up in shorts,capris, and no winter coat this week...and this is in elementary school. It' s hard for me fathom that parents send their little ones out dressed like that. UGH!!!

 

[Brandon]

You don't have them plugged in, or what? I had a decrepit old Thomas that started kinda hard at 14F one morning, but started nonetheless, and I found out the plug had been pulled and it hadn't been plugged in all night.

No, our facility does not have plugs and quite a few of our buses are not equipped to be plugged in. We have several Thomas rear engine buses somewhere around the 2006 model year that are difficult if not impossible to start in the weather we have been having this week.

My problem with the delays is, seriously what is two hour delay going to accomplish? It feels just as cold at 9 as it does at 7. When it's that cold a couple of degrees doesn't matter much. Just my opinion.

Again this is my thought, but the only good point I can bring to the argument is the buses and getting them started.

 

[gungirl65]

Our kids had a 2 hour delay Tuesday because of the cold. It was 6 degrees when I took my son & his friends to school a little after 10:00. Windchill was below zero.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Plugging them in makes a world of difference. I think that Thomas was a 1990 or thereabouts. It was retired after that year (2002 I think). I think it was the first bus ever to have the Allison pushbutton transmission. We got a batch of buses and Allison came and wanted to beta test their transmission on one. The rest in that batch had mechanical shifters.

 

[Classic]

My daughter's school opened 2 hours late yesterday because of the "severe" cold temps. I had to laugh. The schools are giving super wimp training. Laughable.

 

[Coach]

My problem with the delays is, seriously what is two hour delay going to accomplish? It feels just as cold at 9 as it does at 7. When it's that cold a couple of degrees doesn't matter much. Just my opinion.

The day goes by faster.