BFP…another LOL one from ya!!! You just keep ‘em coming… :)
So, "if you “rural folk” don’t start voting for the school proposals soon, we are going to make you go to school—no matter what the conditions." "we can assure you that you will be telling your grandkids that you had to go to school in extremely harsh conditions and that it was “uphill both ways” while you were riding the bus"
If this strategy doesn’t solve the school problem, I don’t know what will. Or, maybe we can threaten the parents with… “if you don’t pay for our new school soon, we are going to create more homework and force your kids to learn more.”
This is highly TIC… I’m just having fun reading about how much we can complain about a minor snow “event”. I wonder what will happen when we get a “real” storm? Or, what if the round-a-bouts become blocked? Or, God help us… what if the “magic tunnel” becomes blocked and we can’t get across highway 7 to get our fancy SA coffee? Oboy, would that be a story to tell our great grandkids… "one day in 2009, we actually had to press the button on the stoplight to walk across the crosswalk… it was quite an adventure… we didn’t know how we’d survive once the tunnel became blocked… somehow we made it!
It would beat those cheezy old “walking five miles through five feet of snow, uphill both ways” stories that grandpa used to tell us or what?
Enjoy the “blizzard” everyone. I’m scared to go blow out my driveway so I’m going to be snowed in I guess. I’ve canceled all my “activities” for the rest of the week.

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This incident occurred several years ago, and we no longer have any children in the school district. I am glad to see that tanning and haircuts are no longer excused absences. At least somebody has a brain who is running the show.

Family functions are are excused. A parent must be with on trips to be excused. Illness is excused, Dr. appointments are excused. The policies are on the school website. No, tanning, & haircuts are not on the list of excused absences.

That seems very odd to me that the school would say that tanning, and haircuts are excused. I really don’t believe that for a minute. I think the school has work to do with some related issues, but this one is a little far fetched.

I would like to comment about the District’s policies regarding excused absences from school. Several years ago my son was scheduled for a summer job interview during school hours, and I had written a note to the school for him to be excused from class in order to attend the interview. (Note: sonny was a very good student graduating in the top 5% of his class). However, when the note was given to the office staff I was immediately called at work, and told that job interviews were not excused absences. So, I asked about what an excused absence was and I was told that shopping, hunting, family vacations, tanning, haircuts, etc. were all excused absences. No excused absences for job interviews. I hope that these policies have changed since that time because that summer job was important to my son because it helped pay for his college education costs. By the way, the HR person who was interviewing him okayed a later time for the meeting. Talk about mixed up priorities at the school. We shouldn’t wonder why kids are graduating without knowing how to read when tanning is a reason to miss class but a job interview is not!!

CHBL, I don’t think anything in this particular thread was serious from a school bond perspective. Some of us just like to joke about the situation to lighten the seriousness of the situation.
You make a good point about the bad weather… I’m not aware of any kids freezing, serious accidents, or dangerous situations that regularly arise from schools not closing early, etc either. I’m sure that someone can find “something” but I bet it is more of an exception than a rule.
Let’s apply a bit of common sense…
When the weather is bad, we all (should) dress our children appropriately. We should warn them about pending danger. People normally drive slower. They pay more attention to their driving (in theory) than normal. Teachers and schools are very aware of the dangers and exercise precautions to ensure their safety.
I actually appreciate the fact that the Hutchinson school district is focusing on education. I think they realize the cost of sending kids home early (from a $$$ and educational perspective) and how it can really mess up a teacher’s “game plan”. Teachers have a limited amount of time to teach their content. If we continually cut their days short and mess up their budgeted time to accomplish this, there is only one clear result—our child’s education is compromised.
Additionally, by cutting school short, many parents need to make special arrangements to pickup children, go home early, etc. This can have a serious financial impact on employers, and families that aren’t able to adjust quickly.
I thank those that are making the weather-related decisions in Hutch. I think you are doing a great job! You are most definitely demonstrating good judgment and economic common-sense.
We will all be much better off if we properly prepare our children for these situations rather than complaining about how someone should have done something or how your “little Johnny” was wrongly kept in school during dangerous weather. Personally, I’d like my “little Johnny” to learn the survival aspect of traveling in this weather. Guess what…he’s going to have to do this on his own some day. What a great life lesson!

Time to stop being bitter about the whole “school bond referendum” (the root of some of your endless anger towards the school) thing and find something more productive to do, rather than get all bent out of shape over a seemingly non-issue! If you feel the school is wrong by not cancelling school for whatever reason, keep your kids home! Not everyone is going to agree on what constitutes shutting down a school district for the day. Just because other school districts are closing does not mean we have to and vice-versa. I was out and about outside of the city today and the roads were not that bad, although a person had to slow down a little bit. By the way, can anyone tell me of a single incident that someone was seriously hurt in recent history when you felt that school should have been shut down and wasn’t? That’s what I thought!

Thanks for putting that smart-alec behavior down.

2 funny hutchfan!

Blizzard:
A violent snowstorm with winds blowing at a minimum speed of 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour and visibility of less than one-quarter mile (400 meters) for three hours.
It’s not even close to 35 miles per hour. So this minor snowstorm shouldn’t be characterized as a blizzard.
I would agree that evening activities should be canceled because it will get worse tonight - and they are. See the front page. But during daylight hours, buses should have no problem navigating through 2-3 inches of snow.

I did call the school on Dec 15, and told them my child would be in after the plows ran, which is approximately 1-2 hours after the bus goes by. They do count it as excused . I also hold my child back on
foggy days when I believe the visability is not what is should be , & the busses go anyway . I am in the country, and live on a county road, and decided years ago the school district was not making the right call on several occasions, and simply made my own choice. It is stated in the student handbook, we are free to make the choice ourselves.

Folks,
You all understand, of course, that whatever29’s original post was made on Dec. 15 about cold temperatures, not about today’s morning snow fall, correct?
(Terry Davis is a Hutchinson Leader staff writer. E-mail him at [email protected].)

I am from these parts…for your information. And I am fine in these conditions, but I wouldn’t take my kids out in it if I don’t have to. Have you notice the other schools around us have closed?? And when it gets 20 below I will not have my kids going to school…is that enough info for ya!

What is wrong with you people? Do you seriously think this weather is that bad? What are you going to do when the temperature actually gets down to 20 below. Now if you are not from around these parts then you are in for a rude awakening because Winter in Minnesota will get a little cold once in a while. Dress appropriately and you will be just fine.

yes u can pull your kids! it is your right as there parent!

Apparently this stuff is going to keep falling they should make a call!!!!!!!!! I live in town but the kids and the drivers safety is at stake especially if the roads continue to get cruddy!! Can a person just pull their kids out of school due to inclement weather?

Does this person have kids? He apparently doesn’t care about anyone else’s. I heard that Hutch says most of the kids are in town that’s why they don’t close. So about those kids in the country…who cares right???

I agree completely!! I have 2 children in school and worries me sick!!

Hutchinson Schools
Driving to work this morning, I seen a bus/truck accident right in town in Hutchinson. Why is it every other school around us is closed and not Hutchinson? I grew up in this city and it has always been like this. Why make our kids stand out in this weather and risk their lives? I think the school needs to make some better decisions or whomever decides this.