Schools get another snow day
Published 10:32 pm Monday, January 8, 2018
Suffolk Public Schools will be closed again on Tuesday for students due to lingering snow and ice on secondary roads in the city.
This marks the fourth day off in a row for schools, after students attended class for only two days following the holiday break. However, some parents aren’t complaining about having their children home.
“It doesn’t bother me that much, because we got a longer break,” said Elizabeth Feagans, a Suffolk Public Schools bus driver and mother of six. “It’s been a nice break.”
Finding activities can be difficult when the kids aren’t playing out in the snow, so parents have to get creative in the ways they entertain their children.
“I’ve been trying to teach them some responsibility and have them shovel the snow,” Carrie McCllellan said. “I tried to teach responsibility and giving back.”
McCllellan has had her boys earn some extra cash by shoveling their neighbors’ driveways, but they also shoveled some elderly folks’ driveways for free.
Feagans and her children got a head start on spring cleaning.
“We went through all of our clothing and went through closets,” she said. “We did some cleaning we wouldn’t normally have the time to do.”
Most of the back roads that the buses travel on are still covered in snow and ice.
“I’m just glad Suffolk’s making the call early. They did a good job, and it made our lives easier,” Feagans said.
Feagans participates in a group with other bus drivers that sends pictures of the roads to their transportation supervisor to update them on conditions.
“I think that if it’s for the safety of the kids, then it’s the right answer,” McCllellan said. “It can be a burden on working parents. I understand the burden. But all parents would agree if their children are safe, then it’s for the better.”
The schools will announce makeup days once they have been finalized. The makeup days aren’t always a parent’s favorite, but some don’t mind the extra days.
“I hate makeup days,” McCllellan said. “I definitely believe makeup days are a huge bother for the children. The holidays are a much-needed vacation, and when you have days that need to be made up, it creates a hardship for them.”
“I’m fine with it, but don’t mess up spring break,” Feagans said.