Those in the Mid-Atlantic region know that we've been drowned in the white fluffy stuff. I'm talking about snow and lots and lots of it. (Saturday, February 6, 2010 has been renamed, alternately, Snowpacalypse, Snowmageddon, Snowmagasm, and Snowtastrophe.) Unfortunately, DC government incompetency in the weather department means that, now four days later, most roads are unplowed, the snow that was plowed sits forlornly in 5 foot gray hills on the street corners, and slush and ice abound.
The federal government is closed, many private sector companies (whose clients are, of course, the federal government) are closed, many retailers are closed, and DC schools are closed. Which leads me to this, the transcript of a robo-call from the Washington Teachers Union to its members Sunday afternoon/night (HT Bill Turque):
All teachers must make an individual decision on whether or not to go to school on tomorrow [Monday]-pending individual circumstances. However, when the Mayor or Chancellor makes a decision that shows a disregard for our safety as teachers, and the safety of our students, we must stand up and make the appropriate decision for ourselves. All teachers who feel that the Mayor's decision to open school tomorrow jeopardizes their safety can send a clear message by putting your safety first and taking leave and I strongly encourage everyone to put your safety first. You are entitled to use your leave and be sure to call in to your school and indicate that you are taking leave because you cannot get to work and your safety is in jeopardy.
Or, in other words, let's get back at Michelle Rhee by standing up for union solidarity! See, as of Sunday afternoon, DCPS was only going to have a 2 hour delay yesterday. Then all of a sudden, whoops, DCPS was closed, not just on Monday, but Tuesday, too. Bill Turque thinks there's a connection. That seems reasonable, but what really bugs me is the WTU's stick-two-fingers-in-the-air reaction to Michelle Rhee's attempt to, oh I don't know, look out for student learning. Ugh. (Snow days, by the way, have a negative effect on student achievement--sort of like summer learning loss... though Snowmageddon learning loss doesn't quite have the same ring.)
And in case you were wondering, Fordham's still open for business, thanks to advanced technology. Snow-smow!
Update 3:18pm: Maybe this is simply further proof that we should seriously consider virtual schooling. If kids can work from the comfort of their own homes, then we'll lose fewer school days to inclement weather. Or maybe I'm just a??Grinch??who wants to take all the fun out of winter and playing hooky.
--Stafford Palmieri
