THURSDAY, JAN. 12: A number of cancellations are coming in now regarding events scheduled for Thursday evening. Any cancellations or postponements can be emailed to editor@dailybulldog.com
The Autism Parent Support Group scheduled for 6:30-8pm tonight at Franklin Memorial Hospital has been cancelled. The group will meet as scheduled next month on Feb. 9.
The Wilton board of appeals will NOT meet tonight as previously planned.
The Sandy River Players’ performance of “The Man in the Bowler Hat” and “The Little Sweep” have been canceled, due to inclement weather.
All schools are closed in Mt. Blue RSU 9 (Chesterville, Farmington, Industry, New Sharon, New Vineyard, Temple, Vienna, Wilton, Weld), MSAD 58 (Avon, Kingfield, Phillips, Stratton and Strong), RSU 73 (Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls), and RSU 78 (Rangeley) due to a winter weather advisory predicting up to a foot of snow through today and into tonight.
There will be no Seniors Plus Meals or Warming Center today at Old South Church in Farmington.
It isn’t snowing.
Yeah! no school! Lets make a snowman
REALLY?
so far it started in Phillips and Kingfield, then has moved to Farmington Wilton, so which direction is it moving?
@ Taxpayer. I think they have to try to make a decision based on the information they are getting. Would there be complaining if the tried to hold school today and a bus went off the road this afternoon due to the conditions? I guess it’s a lose/lose decision. People are never going to be happy.
To: Taxpayer
This will all come together nicely for a 5 day weekend. No school thurs, tomorrow will be messy, so no school friday and monday is a holiday. You see there is a “method to their madness”. See you on the slopes!
Taxpayer and Jim, do you realize that there are no “free” snow days? Every day cancelled for snow is added back at the end of the school year. Decisions are based on safety for the students, not on the desire for days off from work.
I think our childrens safety is way more important than your tax dollars!
@ Barbara – I second that
To those who think this is a free ride for teachers and students, it isn’t. My teacher wife will now add 2 more days (from a previous shut down in RSU 73) to her schedule in June. Believe me, she’d much rather be off in June than in January. Just so you know that though it may sound nice to have the day off now (and I’m sure for some it is), there is a price to pay down the road. Your tax dollars are still at work to support a full school year no matter how much it snows.
Hope everyone is staying safe out there.
@ Jim: YAY for Slopes!
@barbara: Yes these days may add some school to June, but, look at what it provides to a seasonal economy such as ours! Take the snow with a smile, why be discontent and angry with something out of our control :)
As a bus driver safety of our children is most important . Good call.
Well, thanks for the clarification. I did not realize that. I was always of the opinion that there were 5 school days built into the schedule for storm days, in each School calendar, and once those 5 days were exausted, you then had to start making up days at the end of the year. As far as having students on the highway, in inclemient weather, I cannot imaging having to make that call. Your damned if you do and damed if you don’t. I would hope that no one would question that. On the other hand, although I’m not a school parent, I know how difficult it is to change directions, for working parents, when they have to find alternative plans for kids, or lose a days pay. It’s never easy and the same thing happens with scheduled workshops. They need to find a way for the kids to be taken care of. Wouldn’t it make sence to have workshops on storm days and eliminate the duplication of extra time off for kids.
I’m probably missing something, but not sure.
I still had to go to work today. I will also be working in June, July and August, not to mention every week in December, February and April. I could have been a teacher, but I chose a different career. My hats are off to all educators until they start complaining about having to go to work in June.
3:30 PM, 4″ of snow, and no snow plow on the road all day. I live three miles from the center of Farmington. I guess they think everyone must have the day off……. NOT!!!
I don’t think anyone was complaining about having days added on to school in June. Just clarifying how snow days work .
As a parent of students who ski I’m thrilled to see natural snow on the ground. And, yes, really important for the local economy.
@Been Waiting — I wasn’t angry at all about the snow, snow day. or added day. I was explaining to others who commented as if snow days were called with ulterior motives (to give teachers “days off”).
Glad to see Phillips got hot first. Gave me more
time to get things done here.
Waaaaaaaaaaaa! I’m sure we will be crossing paths, as I too will be working year round! I welcome the snow and know how much we rely on the revenue it brings with it. Safety for my children is also first and foremost, Personally if I thought it was unsafe for my children to be at school I would keep them home regardless of the Superintendents or local forecasters decision.
Some districts build in ‘storm days’ if unused you get out earlier, if more used you go longer. Regardless there are 175 total student days that are required of all districts. For those who work summer jobs extending the school year makes it harder for them, but they go in knowing it is the way it is. It should state on the district school calendar if there are 5 days built in or not. Calendar should be available on the district website.
As for the job of cancelling school I’m glad that is never my call, unless they have school and I think it unsafe and keep my children home. As for parents gripping about having to figure out what to do now. Simple plan ahead, and have two or three back up plans. The teen down the road, a daycare who will take your children on storm days. The retired couple down the road, your aunt who is on your way to work, the teen across town. Have a plan in place.
I go to high school but what if we went to school and got into an accident on the bus? I prefer my safety over anything else.
And today—Freezing rain and they are going….What makes sense about this?
nothin like a nice snow ,safety first for the kids,,and like he said freezing rain is a lot worse
Got it backwards- They are probably going today because so many griped about it yesterday. Damned if you do damned if you don’t….
Waaaaaaaaaaaa! I agree with you 100%. I think children’s safety is important, however a few extra days of work for a teacher isn’t that bad. Many teachers, in order to survive in this economy, have to get a summer job. These job’s are usually retail. Most of us people who didn’t choose to be a teacher or in the educational field have to work while they get time off. And yes on “snow days”. I had to work as well yesterday and although I only have a 5 minute commute it was not fun driving home after. But the news doesn’t take a snow day either.
@Bill you said–> “They need to find a way for the kids to be taken care of. Wouldn’t it make sense to have workshops on storm days and eliminate the duplication of extra time off for kids.
I’m probably missing something, but not sure.”
—what’s missing is your common sense. Did you actually mean to say that it should be the schools responsibility to make arrangements to take care of kids when school is either dismissed early or called off all together? Do you not know the word “parent”. My god it is sickening that some people think school is where kids are babysat. Kids go to school to learn and become better people filled with knowledge, NOT A PLACE TO MAKE SURE MOMMY AND DADDY CAN GO TO WORK WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR CHILD!!!!! I trust you didn’t fully understand what you were saying with that comment, at least I hope that’s the case and my apologies for my comments if you actually meant that “parents need to find a way to take care of their kids”. Part of being a parent (and I am not even one, but have the common sense to understand the responsibilities of being one) means you take care of your child’s needs. Also on the subject you brought up of scheduling workshops on storm days–> That’s impossible. Do you know what it takes to put on a teacher workshop? What your saying they should do is like throwing together a pro sports game the day of the event, just not possible. Another thing is you said scheduled workshops make it hard on the parents. Well just so you know ALL workshops are labeled on the school calendar that parents have access to. So, it’s the parents full responsibility to plan in advance on those accordingly, if they don’t, well, guess they aren’t much of a responsible parent. And do you really think if they call of school cause the roads aren’t safe for the students, that somehow they are safe for the teachers. Let me know what you think Bill. Again my apologies if I misinterpreted anything in your post.
If Superintendents could make a perfect weather forecast every time, they’d be in the God business. They make a rational decision based on the data available by a very early hour in the morning.
As far as the whining from “taxpayers” and “year around workers,” consider this – were it not for teachers you probably wouldn’t have the job or the income you now have. Our whole economy is dependent on a literate population. Thank a teacher next time you see one. As a former teacer, I can guarantee you that they work many more hors and days than you realize. My summers off were spent in curriculum development or taking courses required by law to recertify.
One more thing – teachers pay taxes too.
Here we go again, the gods above and those pesky teachers are in kahootz to drive all those workin’ people C-R-A-Z-Y. Yup, obviously the teachers, and the teachers alone, get together before a storm to decide they just want a little extra time off to rub in it the REAL working people’s faces. Then they have a phone tree to call all the news stations, and they get involved in this scheme. Drats! What to do? What to do?
This arguement has gone on for as long as I can remember. As thankless a job as these folks have trying to keep your kids save and teach them something, I’d think you’d appreciate it when they do something to try and make them safer.
@Realistic
You went a little crazy on Bill, didn’t you? You give the impression of being a teacher. If so, I hope you aren’t teaching my child to react in that manner. As for the reasoning that if the roads are not safe for the students they aren’t safe for the teachers you are probably accurate. In follow through to that the rest of the working folk ARE expected to drive on them and go to work at Wal-Mart, Dunkin Donuts, and the hospital, etc. because heaven help us if you can’t go to Wal-Mart on your snow day. And it would be even worse if there wasn’t anyone at the hospital to take care of you after getting in an accident on your way to shop. Snow doesn’t stop the rest of the working folk so don’t expect any sympathy.
@Call me a cynic. You know what they say about assumptions right? I am NOT a teacher, I just have a little bit of common sense to be able to post what I did. And on the subject you brought up of other people having to go to work (wal-mart, dunkin donuts) next time there is a storm check out how many businesses actually close. I can tell you there were about 6 or 8 local businesses and town offices that closed early or didn’t open at all because of the safety of their workers outweighed the minimal profits they most likely would have made (considering most people don’t go out and shop for retail during a storm or do taxes and registrations). Oh and just so you know, I WENT TO WORK THAT DAY. ALL DAY. I go to work everyday there is a storm, because my job doesn’t stop when the weather gets bad. So, lesson learned… please don’t assume. I may have been a little hard on @Bill, but that’s simply because of how disgusted his comments made me feel. It’s just embarrassing to know that some community members actually believe that schools have some sort of conspiracy together to cancel school in inclement weather so they can “have the day off”. If you aren’t prepared for the setbacks of having to be responsible for your child, don’t have any kids. If you don’t like the way school cancels for children and staff safety, well , there’s always the option of homeschooling. Oh, wait, that would be too much of an inconvenience now wouldn’t it? The only other option is move to a warmer climate where they don’t cancel for snow, they cancel for severe heat. If you don’t like the way schools handle their decision making, run for the school board and/or actually go to the meetings and give them your input. Then, when they lay out the whole process of cancelling and workshops for you, maybe you’d understand. Till then, just keep complaining here; cause that’ll do a lot of good.