About this school cancellation thing ...

School cancellations were the hot-button topic of watercooler debate last week, especially when anticipated bad weather didn’t materialize and many thought that buses could’ve (and should have) run.

I’m one of the thousands of armchair experts when this occurs, pontificating on the wisdom or lack thereof of canceling school when conditions seem fair. And I’ll add that I’m not in the red zone yet since my kids aren’t in what they consider ‘big school’.

But for those parents who have children in elementary and secondary school, the issue of cancellation is substantial, especially since the decision to do so isn’t made until the morning of.

It’s one thing to scramble to get kids ready. It’s something else entirely reassemble one’s day, find homecare or make another arrangement it it’s unavailable, all on pretty short notice.

Then, when the crappy weather goes elsewhere and the roads remain clear, it’s inevitable that people shake their heads in amazement that yet another day of their child’s education has gone down the drain. The usual refrain is, “what are we paying these people for? Why can’t they get their act together?”

It’s easy to be smug and declare with a snuff that administrators don’t have a clue one way or the other.

However, that’s unfair. Talk to Superintendent of Schools Norm Dray and he’ll put it into perspective: “Sometimes we make the right call and sometimes we don’t, but we always have the best of intentions when we make the decision, and the safety of children is our first consideration.”

Too often we’re all wrapped up in how the cancellation affects our immediate circumstance. You can admit it; when the word’s given and school’s cancelled, you’re annoyed. It screws up the routine and is viewed almost universally as just another problem to manage.

But think of it from Dray’s standpoint. First of all, he’s not a meteorologist. He relies on what they have to say – their best guess in analyzing an approaching front – but you and I both know that meteorologists have been known to get it wrong. You can’t blame the school board for that.

And wouldn’t you rather err on the side of caution than have your child experience the white-knuckle terror of having to get home on treacherous roads? I’d be thrilled to know my kids are in the living room rather than in a snowstorm heading down either the north or south mountains.

As well, the decision to cancel school is collaborative. The Coordinator of Transportation, Board transportation foremen and an official for the contractor in Kings County monitor the weather each evening for potential storm or other weather-related conditions that may affect school bus operations the next day.

At approximately 4:30 a.m., road conditions are checked, usually by driving around the area. That’s right – 4:30 a.m. There’s discussion up and down the line in Kings and Hants and the Environment Canada website is consulted, too.

A decision to cancel bus operations and close schools is made so that announcements can be broadcast by 6 a.m. Dray and the Coordinator of Transportation speak around 5:30 a.m. and the final decision is made.

This is called due diligence, and keep in mind that if they go ahead and the weather gets ugly, you can’t turn the buses back. Parents have left for work and kids are waiting at bus stops. If you go, you go all the way.

That’s why it makes sense to cancel even when something is imminent. Bad weather may not materialize, but the odds of mishap go up exponentially if conditions deteriorate. And it would be foolish to gamble with the safety of our children simply because it’s inconvenient or the cancellation appears unwarranted to our reckoning.