W-b Wants To Turn Down Crossing Beepers

Airport Board 
Usair Express, Comair Adding Flights To Schedule

Saturday, January 17, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





School superintendents and the no-snow storm &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Having walked 10 miles to school in blizzards with snow up to our ears in
days gone by, we couldn't help but wonder at Thursday's early dismissal of
students for a storm that never turned to snowActually, the snow all those
years ago was probably barely at our ankles. But with the years stretching on
and our tales growing taller, that long-ago snowstorm deepened to cover first
our knees, then waists and, finally, shoulders. Come to think of it, the
school was really just around the corner, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Anyway, we heard the predictable grumbling Friday from working parents who
had to scramble to make child care arrangements and the unbridled glee of
students who will take an early dismissal under any circumstances. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But one can't blame school superintendents for jumping the gun a bit in our
increasingly safety-conscious, litigation-happy and panic-stricken age. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Television weather people flog the coming of each storm as a cataclysm
equal to the Ice Age. Shoppers storm supermarkets at the first hint of snow
and cart off bread and milk in quantities that could have fed Napoleon's Grand
Army on its frozen retreat from Moscow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So you really can't blame a superintendent, who is, after all, subject to
the whims of school board members, parents and taxpayers, to err on the side
of safety. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Modern school districts, with their large, centralized schools and
thousands of students deploy an army of buses each morning to get students
into classrooms. It takes time to gear the fleet up for an early dismissal and
one can't wait until the snow is already covering roads. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So we'll accept some inconvenience for caution's sake. We're talk

School Superintendents And The No-snow Storm 
Having Walked 10 Miles To School In Blizzards With Snow Up To Our Ears In Days 
Gone By, We Couldn't Help But Wonder At Thursday's Early Dismissal Of Students 
For A Storm That Never Turned To Snow.

School Superintendents And The No-snow Storm Having Walked 10 Miles To School In Blizzards With Snow Up To Our Ears In Days Gone By, We Couldn't Help But Wonder At Thursday's Early Dismissal Of Students For A Storm That Never Turned To Snow.