Icy weather causes controversy over decision not to delay school
Upset parents took to social media to voice their concerns.
This photo was submitted by Tyrone sophomore Tristan Day, whose bus got stuck on its way to school on Wednesday, February 19
Wednesday, February 19th was one of the strangest school days in a while.
The weather took a turn for the worse as icy conditions spread across the area. However, Tyrone was the only school in Blair county not to delay or close.
Many TASD buses were forced to pull over due to the icy conditions. At least one district bus slid and ended up stuck as a result of the conditions.
Some students remained on buses for a couple hours waiting for conditions to improve. The decision was then made to return students home. All district buses had returned students home by approximately 11:30 am.
This led to an angry outcry by many in the community at the decision not to delay or cancel. Facebook was buzzing with parents and students upset with the district’s decision not to delay or cancel school.
Superintendent Cathy Harlow issued a statement in the early afternoon on Wednesday stating, “I completely understand the frustration and concerns regarding today’s events. I hope you understand we strive to make well informed decisions utilizing the most relevant information available at the time.”
According to Harlow the buses had already begun their routes before the weather began to deteriorate, picking up students in the school’s 167 mile district radius.
Ninth grade student Michael Lewis said if he had the chance to talk to Harlow he would tell her, “do not let this mistake turn into more. Learn from this and continue to lead our school in the right way.”
Tenth grader Ryan Stringer said “the whole situation showed lack of care for the students, considering we did not get a delay when everyone else did.”
Harlow said that weather reports from various sources such as AccuWeather and the National Weather Service are used to determine expected conditions. Many times the decision is not made until absolutely necessary due to changing weather conditions and reports.
“My mom was very upset and she made it a point to call the school,” said senior Jessie Sible, “no one in my house was able to make it outside without slipping on the ice. My dad thinks the school should take the students into more consideration.”
The situation was reported by several local news stations on Wednesday and Thursday, including the Altoona Mirror and WTAJ news.
According to Harlow’s statement she “will continue to evaluate this process in an effort to make the best possible decisions in the future with the safety of all students in mind.”
Harlow also told the Eagle Eye that the school day will count and will not need to be made up at the end of the school year.
Hey everyone! My name is Paige and I am a sophomore this year at TAHS. This is my second year in Eagle Eye and I am back because I love to provide...
Anonymous • Feb 24, 2014 at 3:07 pm
Why? What was the point? You saw the weather, why did you keep school going? We had school off was a day when the sun was shining at 10:00 a.m. When there is a bad weather day you keep school going. What was going through your mind at that point?
Derek • Feb 21, 2014 at 8:33 pm
Mrs. Harlow’s statement about the buses being out before weather conditions deteriorated is false, the roads were already icy at 6:00 am as my parents were leaving for work.