Vocativ – by Abigail TracyHundreds of schools throughout Minnesota canceled classes on Wednesday for dangerously low temperatures. Yet a mighty, blistering windchill of more than 30 degrees below zero did not impress all districts. The superintendent of one such district who kept the doors to his schools open got himself well and truly trolled for his bold executive decision.
Superintendent Jay Haugen of the Farmington school district called the weather on Wednesday morning “cold but not unusual,” reported local media outlet the Farmington Independent (keep in mind that experts say it takes only 10 to 20 minutes for skin exposed to those temperatures to develop frostbite).
Monitored wind chill all night. Forecast low -32 @district192. Cold but not unusual for us. School will be open. Check website for more info
— Jay Haugen (@Soup192) January 7, 2015
Students, as one might expect, were not happy with his decision and, as one might also expect, took to social media to air their grievances.
https://twitter.com/ColeDbbls/status/552815334403870720
https://twitter.com/Shearer_10/status/552703331114942464
https://twitter.com/ColeDbbls/status/552680313793810434
https://twitter.com/eflan1212/status/552648333169135616
As a native Minnesotan, I feel for these kids. Throughout history, the Midwest state I still call home got really good at plowing and even better at putting up with the bitter cold. Perhaps too good.
I can remember sitting in front of the television with my sister watching school-closing announcements scroll across the bottom of the screen, hoping with all my might to see “White Bear Lake Area Schools.” And still, I don’t even need one entire hand to count the number of times school was canceled in my district for snow days or the cold.
While most of the kids’ social posts featured either griping or unanswered prayers, one Minnesota kid—in fewer than 140 characters—took matters into his own hands. Sophomore Owen VanDeWalker tweeted a Spotify playlist at the Minneapolis Public Schools district that included only winter-themed songs. Among them were such titles as “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Ice, Ice Baby” and “Cold As Ice,” reported CBS Minnesota.
@MPS_news made you this playlist to help make your decision on school tommorow, it pretty flame, give it a listen. http://t.co/ZiJvcvP8Qy
— owen (@browen33) January 6, 2015
And the district responded.
https://twitter.com/MPS_News/status/552583575825297408
School for the next day was indeed canceled. Well done, Owen.
http://www.vocativ.com/culture/society/school-closings-minnesota/
Got to keep that money coming in, no doubt.
theres one A.H. that should have showed up to an empty building
he forgets that we as parents dont have to do as he says if we deem it unsafe for our kids , well some of us parents maybe
I dont have to worry about these losers choices for my kids , they wont step foot in a public fool systems building
All well and good and I would not let my school age children within 100 yards of a public school if I had any. However, When I was a child, school was rarely canceled, there had to be at least 12 – 15 inches of snow before they would call it off, and, never for cold temps. A nation of wimps we have become.
We are a nation of puss## It was just as cold back in the 80’s when i walked to school. Everyone is scared of a little bad weather or worked up about it. Hell the weather channel makes up dumb ass names for snow storms now get real! Simply put when kids grow up to be adults and have to work for a living, is a little storm going make then stay home because our schools trained them to think this way.