Update: Seattle Public Schools now DISMISSING 2 HOURS EARLY; some other schools too

(12:55 PM UPDATE: We’re hearing from independent schools too, and are adding their changes to the end of this story)

(Photo by West Seattleite Tony Welch, showing the snow at Ingraham in the north end)
We started getting word that people were being told Seattle Public Schools – which started 2 hours late – were letting out two hours early. It wasn’t on the district website. But we just spoke with Lesley Rogers at the SPS communications office – she CONFIRMED it, explaining that yes, they are dismissing everyone two hours early, “because the north end is getting slammed with snow.”

Again, this is ALL SPS campuses – two-hour early dismissal today. (Thank you to everyone who called/texted/e-mailed about this!)

ADDED 12:16 PM: SPS’s official announcement to the media:

All Seattle Public Schools will be closed two hours early on Tuesday, Jan. 17. All after school events will be cancelled. This includes games, practices, events, plays, meetings, etc.

We are cancelling all classes this afternoon because of recent winter weather. Buses in the north end are having difficulty on the roads. This will be operated as a two-hour early release. Weather patterns changed this morning in the north end of the District requiring us to dismiss classes early. We apologize for the inconvenience this caused today but predicting the weather is not an easy task. Safety is a top priority of our students.

SPS will send an automated phone call to all families notifying them of the two-hour early release. Families who are using childcare services at a school should contact the childcare provider directly for hours.

Seattle Public Schools is closely monitoring the weather this week, especially for school on Wednesday. Families will receive an automated phone call if school is cancelled.

P.S. If you’re noticing slowness accessing WSB, our apologies – we are working with our server-management firm to handle the very high traffic. We always publish breaking-news bulletins to our alternate channels as well – so if you use Facebook, please be sure to “like” the WSB page at facebook.com/westseattleblog (and of course on Twitter, twitter.com/westseattleblog).

12:55 PM UPDATE: At least two local private schools are dismissing early too – Westside School at 1:30 pm, Explorer West two hours early. We also are working on a list of non-school changes/cancellations/postponements, so if you know of any, please let us know.

A January 17, 2012 (12:01 pm)

This is SO stupid! So I basically dropped my son off at school to have lunch today. What a waste. This is another thing that I hate about the Seattle School District – it’s too big! What’s happening up north does not affect us. That’s how Seattle is. My friend sent me photos this weekend of her front yard covered with snow in the Madison Valley. I sent her photos of my green grass with no snow in sight. She wrote back and asked if we live in the same city!

RobertSeattle January 17, 2012 (12:01 pm)

Ugh. Seems like a big overreaction. Looking at the Radar it looks like the convergence zone is just farther south than normal.

Ryan c January 17, 2012 (12:06 pm)

Should have had school closed today. This is an inconvenience for a lot of folks now.

Que January 17, 2012 (12:25 pm)

How is this going to affect the school busses?

jiggers January 17, 2012 (12:28 pm)

no snow and schools closing…lol

Marianne January 17, 2012 (12:48 pm)

Working in a school and directly affected by this, at least the teachers and students are more flexible than some of you! Gee willakers!

CSWS January 17, 2012 (12:50 pm)

I don’t see why they can’t make a school by school determination. What is it about doing that, that makes it not do-able?

Sue January 17, 2012 (12:53 pm)

Westside School is dismissing at 1:30.

coffee January 17, 2012 (12:54 pm)

Have we started to pick the name for this storm yet?

M January 17, 2012 (12:55 pm)

Yes, it’s really unfortunate that the Seattle school district is the same size as the City of Seattle. Clearly, the people who made that decision have no common sense.

jno January 17, 2012 (1:04 pm)

CSWS: for one, many buses serve multiple schools. Also, a school-by-school determination would be a communications nightmare.

Having spent four and half hours on a Seattle school bus during a snowstorm myself, I don’t ever begrudge the district for playing it safe.

bettersafe... January 17, 2012 (1:08 pm)

I agree play it safe. You’ll have an inconvenience, but kids and people are safe so that’s what matters most.

kj January 17, 2012 (1:18 pm)

I think we need to cut SPS a little slack. Whatever they do, someone second guesses them and complains. Geesh. I sure wouldn’t want to be in charge of making snow decisions. And the predictions in Seattle change constantly. To the gripers: YOU try making those decisions and see if everybody will be happy!

bsmomma January 17, 2012 (1:20 pm)

@ Marianne the students and teachers don’t have to deal with dropping kids off at school, getting to work just to turn around and go back. It is a bit frustrating BUT I’d much rather be frustrated/inconvenienced than worried about my child being stuck at school or on a bus. This doesn’t happen often enough to be a real issue. BUT it better snow now!! :)

liss January 17, 2012 (1:22 pm)

I agree with the ANTI Griper sentiment of CSWS and kj. C’mon, can we try and be positive and embrace the unknown a little…

batwoman January 17, 2012 (1:30 pm)

Any word on South Seattle CC? Does anyone know if they’re open today/tonight?

Lolaleah January 17, 2012 (1:32 pm)

Think about the faculty of the schools that may not live close to the school where there is no snow. Some live other places, and need to get home safely. Stop complaining about everything. Sheesh.

Laura January 17, 2012 (1:34 pm)

As far as I know, SSCC is still open for classes today. Their website doesn’t say anything about closing for afternoon/evening classes.

WSB January 17, 2012 (2:03 pm)

No changes for SSCC today – we monitor the local schools with Twitter feeds including SSCC and here’s the only thing they have had to say:
https://twitter.com/SouthSeattleCC/status/159283835249500160
- WSB January 17, 2012 (3:01 pm)
  
  Update from SSCC: They’re closing at 4:30 pm and canceling evening activities.

LyndaB January 17, 2012 (1:36 pm)

What about the kids who have to take the metro buses? I’m worried about the minors out there having to navigate that.

Kae January 17, 2012 (1:41 pm)

It’s Snopocalypse 2012 mass hysteria!!!

Steph January 17, 2012 (1:46 pm)

I think the name for the storm should be “Snow Flaked.” Of course that may change should it actually snow tomorrow.

LS January 17, 2012 (1:46 pm)

We have school snow days maybe what? Once a year or every two years? And people are complaining about the SPS because they are “inconvenienced” for one day?

Maybe those who feel so put out by this should read down a few posts at WSB about the people living in the cold in Nickelsville and then you’ll see how blessed you really are to have a car to pick up your kids, a job to leave early and a warm house to bring your kids home to.

… And a school district that cares enough about your children to make sure that they are home safe and you are not driving in unsafe snow conditions to pick them up.

And yes, I am a full-time working parent of 2 kids who attend two different schools, and I think the SPS has handled this very well.

And thanks to the teachers, many of whom commuted from all over Puget Sound to be there for our kids at 10:00am today.

Safe travels home.

Jiggers January 17, 2012 (1:52 pm)

it’s not supposed to snow until after midnight tonight, so there should have been regular school hours today. now tomorrow maybe a different song and dance.

Bonnie January 17, 2012 (1:59 pm)

Well, I’d rather error on the side of caution than have my kids stuck in a big snowstorm and not able to get home. It’s better to be safe than sorry. It is an inconvenience but one I’m willing to take.

CSWS January 17, 2012 (2:00 pm)

I asked a question (and got an answer from a driver, thanks jno-I would not want that job!) I would hardly say that’s ‘griping’.

Now to actually gripe….this is NOT a rare occurance, it happens every year!

And now a compliment-I actually think the Dept of Transportation did an excellent job on the roads this time.
So there you go-now everyone should be happy!!!!

Huindekmi January 17, 2012 (2:02 pm)

My office already closed and sent us home. A couple inches of snow on the ground and coming down hard. Hilly roads were already impassable. 520 was a slush fest. One minivan barely made it up the on ramp.

Then get to WS, where it’s not even raining yet only to find people complaining about the wimpy storm. Geez!

CSWS January 17, 2012 (2:09 pm)

Oh and thanks for the picture of what’s happening in North Seattle WSB – it helps to have a visual!

Ken January 17, 2012 (2:36 pm)

We in WS are still in the doughnut hole created by the snow shadow of the Olympics and the water temp of the sound, bay and lakes. Once the next front gets here (visible on satellite views coming up from the SW) the hole should shift a bit north or disappear into the convergence zone.

Maybe. Possibly.

Until the temp drops in that hole the snow squalls on the radar will continue to turn to rain over Seattle and back to snow as they move east.

http://www.king5.com/weather/radar?radar=63609407&type=ani&img=0&c=y

Muffaluffagus January 17, 2012 (2:38 pm)

Nor sure if anyone mentioned this yet, a good place to find out of schools are closed ( like SSCC) check schoolreport.org

WSB January 17, 2012 (2:45 pm)

Yes, we use that, but the problem is that most schools are not members. The community-college system is. Many public-school districts (like Seattle and Highline and Vashon) are. But most private schools are not – none of the ones in West Seattle and White Center. When SPS posted its notice to SchoolReport – before sending out a media alert or updating its own website (they told us later they were having trouble) – it looked like an error, as it said SCHOOLS CLOSED – in my TV years, I saw notices for the NEXT day often turn up in the SchoolReport.org queue before they should have, and that’s why I called to check – TR

ad January 17, 2012 (2:53 pm)

Steph, I like that name! But we shall see…

jno January 17, 2012 (2:57 pm)

@CSWS – just to clarify: I’m not a driver – merely a humble former student who voluntarily bused across town and got caught one particularly bad year when the district did not act in abundance of caution! (Before the cell phone age, no less…)

MAS January 17, 2012 (3:16 pm)

I suggest SnoCycle in honor of the end of the current Mayan calendrical cycle later this year (and associated apocalypse predictions) – but I’m guessing that won’t be popular.

AJP January 17, 2012 (3:24 pm)

When my husband was in middle school in the early 90s some of the school buses couldn’t make it to take the kids home and had to turn around and go back to the school. Some of the kids spent the night at school. I think that’s what they are trying to avoid.

Silly Goose January 17, 2012 (3:25 pm)

Oh brother the idiots drank the media Kool-Aide wake up WS the sun is out and the streets are dry, and don’t the majority of you drive 4-wheel or all wheel drives!! Learn how to use them!!!

karen January 17, 2012 (3:28 pm)

SnOMG

RobertSeattle January 17, 2012 (3:31 pm)

Many private schools and businesses that cater to children follow SPS’s openings and closings by policy.

smokeycretin9 January 17, 2012 (3:40 pm)

must be that damn Liberal Media Conspiracy everyone is talking about?

LLFauntleroy January 17, 2012 (4:42 pm)

Seattle schools closed Wednesday- just got the call. Advanced notice is good. This day will be most likely made up next Friday.

IneptSPS January 17, 2012 (5:24 pm)

Now that we have neighborhood schools I don’t see how anyone, or very many, could be stuckon a bus overnight. It would have to be snowmageddon. Also, what do they do in states where it snows regularly? This is such a huge overreaction.

Lisa January 17, 2012 (5:45 pm)

At Denny Middle School the staff went around to the kids and asked if they had a ride home or if they were taking the school or Metro bus, then they asked if there would be an adult at home because they didn;t want to send the kids home being by themselves. The staff apparently made a plan for the kids to go up to SW Library for games so they weren’t staying at school waiting and no staff would be around. By the way, the Metro shuttle to AH is free.

Ajax January 17, 2012 (5:53 pm)

I’m tired so could someone from a “state where it snows regularly” please provide the very obvious answer to IneptSPS’s question?

WestsideMom January 17, 2012 (7:35 pm)

I think private schools should be free thinking when it comes to snow. So many schools opened late or closed early because of the threat of SNOW! Okay, I sort of get the Public Schools policy but I don’t get Westside & Explorer West following public schools on a day like today. It was actually a beautiful, albeit kinda cold day and the system wasn’t supposed to come in until tomorrow morning. That was the forecast all day! I think the local private schools that started late and closed early were lazy (I know that isn’t a PC thing to say, but I said it). Also to the parents saying ‘better safe than sorry’ about today’s call, I say ‘for real?’– we better just cancel everything then, just in case!!!

I vote for SnOMG, totally! (thx Karen).

homesweethome January 17, 2012 (8:14 pm)

Having lived in a “state where it snows regularly” – guess what? Same thing happens. School districts are large everywhere, diverse terrain, etc. so districts make the best snow call they can to insure the safety of all students across the district. It doesn’t matter if it is sunny in one corner of the county, it might be a blizzard in another. And yes parents get upset in snowy states as well. The only main difference is the number of available snow plows.

WhatSnow January 17, 2012 (10:20 pm)

I agree with WestsideMom that the private schools in West Seattle need to use their professional judgment and critical thinking skills to make a determination that suits thier population, which is 99.5% West Seattle and Burien residents (including teachers and staff). Obviously we don’t want private schools to just blindly follow along with Seattle Public School decisions. There was absolutely no good reason for cancelling school today at Westside.

Christina January 18, 2012 (1:21 am)

My kid is busses from Southern West Seattle all the way to practically Lake City. I appreciate that SPS got the kids out when they did. The roads were a mess and it was snowing when I picked my daughter up.

However, I will complain that I got called 40 minutes before they dismissed. I work in Bellevue and with 15 minutes of “end of day” responsibilities, it isn’t enough warning. I got plenty of attitude when I called and requested they not put my second grader on a bus to a closed daycare. It’s a good thing I called too because I wasn’t able to get there until about 10 minutes after dismissal which I understand from my daughter resulted in more bickering at the school.