tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post3155553471234336792..comments2024-03-18T17:28:13.693-04:00Comments on Ed Notes Online: AndersonGate - Cami Anderson Uses Chris Christie Lane Closure Tactics in Snow Day Late School Closuresed notes onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-67239970683265755422014-02-05T12:08:26.398-05:002014-02-05T12:08:26.398-05:00Many NPS employees need to report to school by 7:0...Many NPS employees need to report to school by 7:00 a.m. Most of these individuals are custodians, cafeteria workers, some clerical and even some teachers for the few wrap-around programs that are in schools. <br /><br />Many teachers and support staff need to leave their homes prior to 7:00 a.m. in order to arrive to school on time, especially as students in schools begin to arrive around 7:30 a.m. <br /><br />On Monday morning, February 3rd, when I awoke schools around the state were closed. In fact, the night before I heard of a number of schools that were already closed. I checked and NPS was not one of these schools. I even went to the official NPS website and there was nothing to indicate school was or would be closed. I am a dedicated teacher and instead of calling out, I got ready and left my house before 7:00 a.m., again checking the NPS website, to make sure I arrived on time and was ready for the students. <br /><br />I arrived at school at 7:30 a.m. There were other staff members inside and others that arrived after me. At 7:45 a.m. I received a text message that school was closed. I truly thought it was a joke. At 7:55 a..m. the official phone call came in stating the decision had been made at 7:30 a.m. (Blackboard connect) to close the NPS schools. I checked the NPS website and NOW there was the announcement that school was closed for the day due to inclement weather. <br /><br />This is a total disgrace and total disregard for our students, the employees and the community. <br /><br />The weather clearly indicated this was not a day for our students to be in school. The announcement needed to be made prior to 6:00 a.m. at the latest. People were getting ready to leave. Families had to wake their children up, get them ready and leave in this weather to arrive to a school where they were told it was closed, or left their children, and now there are staff members still trying to get a hold of families to let them know that the school is closed. Families needed to be notified so they could make arrangements for their children, as did employees with their own children.<br /><br />Families and staff were put in harm’s way. Many of our families walk to school with their children on unplowed and unshoveled roads and sidewalks. Many families (and staff) take public transportation to get to school on time. <br /><br /> To add insult to injury many families are afraid to keep their children at home because they have received attendance letters. I’m not saying that their child’s attendance is not important, but for various reasons their child may have been absent, but on a day like today the families will make every effort to get their child to school so they do not get taken to court. During the last snowstorm, the one with the 10:00 a.m. delayed opening, out of 23 students I had 5 students show up in my class. All of these students came because their family was afraid to keep them home. (The families personally shared this information with me.) Out of 156 students, we had 30 students show up that day, with many families saying they were afraid to keep their child at home because of the attendance policy.<br /><br />Staff members are also afraid to call out because the attendance policy is being abused. Staff members are being evaluated one level below their actual evaluation based on attendance as low as five days absent. I realize that attendance is important, but so is safety. If a teacher is hurt coming to school on a day that school should have been closed, then everyone suffers.<br /><br /><br />To make it even more appalling, those of us that made it into school had to turn around and drive back home. Our students and their families had to walk back home or back to the public transportation they used to get to school.<br /><br />Where was the safety of all of us taken into consideration? The students, families, staff members, community all deserve more respect than we are getting from the leaders of NPS.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com