Winter is here, and the snowstorms aren’t showing any signs of stopping. This is great news if you ski or snowboard, but if you don’t, the snow can be quite a pain, especially when driving in it. But is it really necessary to come to school during heavy snowfall?
Many would agree that the most stressful time to drive in the snow is on the way to school. It means waking up early, shoveling the driveway, and scraping off a car to set out on the dark and icy roads. Driving in the snow is a struggle for many, especially for those who don’t have suitable cars for the snow. When asked if his car drives well in the snow, junior Luke Church said, “Not at all. It’s two-wheel drive in the front, and it’d be worse if it was in the rear. It’s little, it only has two seats, and it weighs about 1,000 pounds.” Not every student at Weber has a car that drives well in the snow, and it can cause a lot of problems and dangerous situations.
Once you’ve made the treacherous journey on the icy roads to get to school, you’re now faced with the task of parking. There aren’t as many places to park because of the snow piled on top of spaces at the bottom. Many students feel like the plowing in the parking lot could be improved, but Junior Naomi Christensen says, “I feel like it’s 50/50, like, sometimes it’s pretty good and sometimes they do a pretty mid job.” Many would agree with Christensen, but it honestly comes down to how much snow there is to move. If the job isn’t done well, it could turn into a hazard.
The parking lot is already dangerous enough, as Church says “I don’t think it’s safe in the summer, winter, fall, or spring,” but in the winter it’s even more so. One of the scariest things when navigating the parking lot in the morning is trying to decipher where the next patch of black ice is before it’s too late and you’re on the ground. Imagine slipping in the middle of the parking lot right as someone comes speeding up to get a good spot. Like Church said, it’s already dangerous enough, and when you account for the factors of ice and snow, it can cause a lot of issues. But what could be done to ensure the safety of the students?
One thing that could be done is canceling school when there’s heavy snow. Although it is up to the district to decide whether school stays open on a snow day, it should be up to the individual school itself. Weber could be getting buried in snow one day and Roy could have no snowfall at all, and it makes no sense to close both schools that day. Christensen says “If we can access school online, I think it’s alright to call for more snow days.” Online school was shown to work during the pandemic, and it should be utilized on days when it’s too dangerous for students to come to school now.
Overall, making students come to school during a snowstorm can have more pros than cons. Why even have school when half the people aren’t going to come anyway? As Christensen puts it, “[The snow] makes me want to go skiing.” If everyone’s too busy slipping and sliding on the way to school, then there isn’t any time to shred that fresh layer of snow.