Why was school delayed today in central Iowa???
- Thread starter cytheguy
- Start date
My comment on the busses was directed at those saying the reason they didn't have school was because they were worried if the busses would run or not. Most diesel engines have similar characteristics, it doesn't matter if they are in a tractor, semi or school bus.
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A big difference between 40 years ago and today is that today there is a history/knowledge/understanding that if a bus breaks down on the side of the road out in the middle of nowhere at -40. It wont take long for kids to freeze. there is a higher percent of sunlight by 10 than a 7.
Going to school at the start of a semester vs a throw away day in June is much different. Curriculum is completed, testing is done. Snow days are for movies, not for education.
It may not matter what type of vehicle it is in regards to its performance, but most of the discussion on this thread is about why schools delay/close due to very cold weather. What DOES matter about whether the diesel engine is in a tractor, semi, or school bus is how many people are involved. I think we all thank you for educating us on the fact that all diesel engines are the same.
Some missed school days are made up on designated snow make-up days throughout the school year. Some are also added at the end of the year. If they are added at the end of the year, the curriculum and testing is postponed to later days, also. Unless you are talking about a very ineffective and poorly run school, the missed school days aren't just added on as "throw away days".
Not sure how many of you have been one a school bus in the last few years, but I have chaperoned and ridden a bus in the winter. They are not warm. Kids forget their hats and mittens or are not dressed appropriately for the low temperatures and it would not take a Kindergartner very long to become extremely cold.
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Most of my teachers just move their lesson plan back a day
You still have to cover the same information. It's not like if they had a week of snow days they'd have 2 weeks of throwaway time at the end instead of just 1.
Do schools in Alaska close school when it gets below 0? If so, they wouldn't have school from November-March.
Are the employees who run the child care employees of the Urbandale school district, or are they employed by an outside agency? If they are employees of an outside agency, they may not be allowed in the building unless there is a school employee in the building. So, if the school janitor isn't in the building at 6:30AM due to the late start, the school may not allow the non-school employees in the building. It may be a district policy, just like when a group rents the school gym, someone from the school has to be in the building.
In Waukee at the schools where the YMCA runs the before/after care, they cannot be in the building unless there are school staff in the building. It is a liability issue, the last thing a school or a child care provider wants is some kid taking off in an unoccupied school building and getting hurt.
First, we aren't living in Alaska. Secondly, schools in Iowa DO have school on days when it gets below 0. The discussion is about days like today and tomorrow where the temperature doesn't get ABOVE 0, and the wind chill is in the -30+ range. That is dangerous, and is why schools cancel.
I just know that this, I always find it funny when people pine for the old days on the interwebz.
Looks like it is time for all of us to move to balmy Alaska!
Are you done asking questions? Yes, I know, because I get the school district voice messages alerting when school is closed. It says all schools and school offices are closed. The head day care person called me later and confirmed that all offices are closed.
Check Fairbanks! Really though I was joking. Just kinda wondering what they do up there.
I will play devils advocate here. Yes Diesel engines have similar characteristics but not all machines fuel systems are the same. Case in point. I had to finish combining corn the first week of December due to down corn taking forever and waiting for snow to melt off down corn etc. I finished on December 7th. The night of the 6th got down to -3. I slept in my truck in the field that night so the combine and tractor could be started and let run for an hour every other hour. The combine handled it fine due to its tank being above the engine protected under the plastic body so it kept heat. The Steiger with an exposed steel tank above the rear axel gelled up and quit running at 3 am. Both had winter blend and Power Serve in them. Point is two very similar diesels with same fuel but different fuel storage and distance of fuel lines and we got two different results.
I get what you're saying about diesels should be the same but my family has 6 identical semis hauling grain year round. And each truck handles the cold differently. The same can most likely be said for buses.
