Here’s How We Used To Learn About Winter Weather School Closures

Winter weather advisories are in place for many areas of the Carolinas this week. And, in response to the possible inclement weather, many school districts have altered schedules or cancelled classes altogether. Do you remember how we used to learn about winter weather school closures?Kids have it much easier these days finding out about cancellations. But, those of us in a certain age range recall it wasn't always so simple. Winter Weather School Closures Back In The Day Back when I was an elementary student in the 70s, of course there was no internet, social media or email. I know we shudder to think about how we survived without cell phones, texting, Facebook or Instagram. So, instead, here's how we used to find out about winter weather school closures. Our school district usually waited until around 5 in the morning on the day of the inclement weather to make the judgement call about winter weather school closures. Apparently, they feared if they let us know the night before, the teens might run amok on the dangerous streets knowing they had a snow day the next day. You think I'm kidding? Think again. My dad was in the media, and a school official shared that tidbit with him. I basically lived in a town like the one in the movie Footloose. The school superintendent would assess the road conditions early morning and decide if buses could run routes safely. If not, he would inform media outlets, including radio and TV. Then, they would start announcing winter weather school closures around 6 a.m. If you missed the reading of your school, you had to wait until they circled back on the announcement list. Or, call the station and ask. They loved that. LOL. Or, when it came to TV, they ran a scroll alphabetically across the bottom of the screen. If you missed your school name, once again you were required to wait until it came around again. Nonetheless, you had to wake up as if you were going to school only to find out you could go back to bed. Or, worse, you found out they deemed the roads safe enough to travel and attend school. How Common Did Winter Weather School Closures Used To Be? And, they were much more hesitant to cancel school back then. We honestly went to school during much worse ice and snow storms than any kids do today. I remember one year the temps dipped so low the gas company curtailed usage. Our school was freezing. Alas, school went on as scheduled. Winter weather school closures were very rare. Then, there was the winter during my Freshman year in High School when we had no electricity or heat in our building. And, for whatever reason school went on. That would be quite the litigious situation today. Anyway, our school had no windows in the interior classrooms. It was dark and cold. My algebra teacher brought in battery operated camping lamps and we took a test Abe Lincoln style! First of all, what was my mom thinking? Why did I go? Those were some crazy times indeed. Well, we'll just chalk it up to building character. Kids today will never know of our struggles when it came to winter weather school closures. But, isn't that what our parents said when they told us about "walking uphill both ways in the snow" back in their day? By the way...you should go to a website somewhere and check on the cancellations and closures!