Whoops. That basically summed up our Tuesday. Friday, we had our school day called off due to ice. We basked in our day, enjoyed it, and around 1pm was reminded why I enjoy school, as the fighting and bickering and general noise level was high. We had the weekend to recover with glorious 70 degree days, sun, wonderful. Then the rumbling started that ice was coming again. By Monday evening, it was pretty much decided by the meteorologists that the ice would be similar to Friday’s, with a later start and more rush hour inconvenience.
<insert compulsive online checking for school closures>
Monday
10:00 pm – Facebook post on news site stating AISD would be two hours late.
10:30 pm – Email from Lily’s school reminding us that they follow AISD and would be two hours late. Nothing from LTISD.
Tuesday
5:55 am – Text and email message from LTISD – School will go on as scheduled. Roll out of bed.
6:40 am – Walk Ella to the bus stop in the rain. Friendly builder who got to work early to beat the ice yells out and asks me if we have school. I say “Yes! We got an email this morning!”
6:44 am – Bus rolls up. Driver, not usual cheerful self, bus coated in ice. I nearly biff it on the sidewalk on my walk home (one house).
Meanwhile, Loran is bustling to get ready because he’s one of the keynote speakers at an event downtown that morning. He sets out at 7 for his slow commute. I make him take a hat, gloves, YakTrax, and granola bar.
7:05 am – Turn off lights, flip on fireplace, cozy up on the couch under a blanket and turn on the news.
7:15 am – LTISD issues two hour delay according to news. A few minutes later, Facebook confirms with this: “Urgent Message – All classes are now on a two hour delay. Transportation services are temporarily suspended. Students who boarded school buses will be transported to school as soon as possible. If your students are at bus stop, please get them back home as soon as possible.” I start to wonder…
So…my child has been on the bus for a half hour already. Will she come home? Will she go to school? What the what?! Now I’m texting friends, communicating with the district through Facebook and partially paying attention to Lily who is now awake. Seems like she will go to school. Has she made it to school? I’m reading that a few bus drivers brought kids back. Maybe? All rumors.
7:20 am – Pacing in the guest room where there is a front window. Is the bus coming? Do I dare shower? Will I need to meet the bus if it comes (2nd grade and under need to be met at the bus stop on a normal day)? Where is my kid? The news is telling me the roads have deteriorated quickly. Where is my kid? Freaking out. Cry a little. Compose self.
7:30 – Send Ella’s teacher a casual email: “Is Ella there? Haha…I’m just freaking out a little. Ack” I’m totally trying to stay calm…it’s all good…(all lies)
7:40 am – Call the school to see if the bus has arrived. Receptionist answers with one swift and quick greeting. “Serene-Hills-Elementary-All-LTISD-Schools-Have-Been-Delayed-Two-Hours-We-Will-Start-At-9:45-Does-That-Help-You?” Me: “No. My daughter is on bus X, has it arrived at school?” Answer: “Only one bus has arrived, I cannot confirm which one, call back in 30 minutes and I will have more information.” Me: *whimper* “Okay.” Click. *Sob.* Only one bus has arrived? It’s been an HOUR. AN HOUR!
8:15 am – Receive email from Ella’s teacher *whew*, here’s the answer I need. Nope. She wrote that she can’t get to school, road is closed, she was turned around. – OH EM GEE!
8:16 am – Call transportation number. Me: (super friendly) “Hi, I’m wondering if bus X has dropped off at Serene Hills yet?” Transportation Dude: “All busses are on a two hours delay.” Me: (Angry serious voice) “My Kindergartener got on the bus at 6:45 and as of 7:45 only one bus had made it to Serene Hills. I need to know if my daughter got to school.” ROAR. Transportation Dude: (seriously sounds a little frightened) “I am SO sorry, I will find that out, please hold on!” Few seconds later, “They have arrived at school within the last few minutes. I am SO sorry.” Me: (friendly again) “Thank you very much, I appreciate it.” Click. *sob*
In between these times, I’m checking Facebook, texting friends and Loran and trying to stay happy for Lily…. “Sure! I’d love to build a 4-wheeler out of Legos with you and tear apart the house trying to find the 1/2 inch Lego bunny you misplaced. (Your sister may be in an icy ditch) That sounds SUPER!”
8:20 am – AISD cancels school. Lily will now be home all day. One less thing to worry about.
So, Ella’s safe and at school. They’ll keep her there until class starts at 9:45. Okay, life is good. I can shower. WAIT!
8:50 – LTISD cancels school! “Lake Travis ISD officials are cancelling school for the day, Tuesday, Jan. 28. If students are already at school, they will be supervised and fed. Parents can pick them up as travelling conditions allow. We have some buses that cannot get to school. We will call those parents personally to make arrangements. If your child attends our Extended Care program at the elementary level, staff will be available to care for your child until 6pm. We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences as weather conditions deteriorated much quicker than forecasted.”
Okay…time to regroup. Now school is cancelled. My child is at school. I need to go pick said child up from school eventually and the news is telling me to stay off the roads. Granted, I’ve got Minnesota driving skills. However, the road to Ella’s school is a hilly, narrow, winding, freaky-to-drive in good conditions road – and they don’t have the chemicals that MN has. Here’s some cat litter, good luck, y’all.
But, she’s safe and will be fed. We’re safe. Let’s wait a bit. I showered and built the Lego thing with Lily and around 10:30 we bundled up and headed out. Thankfully, while still below freezing, the roads had dried up considerably. A few icy patches, and of course, dumb trucks with 4-wheel drive think they’re impervious to ice. So, one guy followed my slow ascents and descents along the curvy road. I have 4-wheel drive, but I’ve also experienced doing 360s in intersections…I’ve got experience on my side and I’m not rushing things, Cowboy. We rolled into a very quiet elementary school where the receptionist was far less stressed than the last time we talked. She walkie-talkied down to where the Kindergarteners were hanging out and Ella was escorted to the office, all smiles. She and one boy were the only ones to make it from her class. The classes were combined into a couple of rooms, and when I asked Ella what they did all morning, her response was, “We watched A LOT of movies!” I was so happy to see that smiling face in her winter parka. OH! My heart raced with happiness.
Once we were safely home, we relaxed, played, cleaned and did find that missing 1/2 inch Lego bunny.
The Superintendent did send a very thoughtful, sincere, apology. And I appreciate that. I’m not going to beat a dead horse. It happened, it was a mistake, but mistakes happen to everyone. When they watched the weather and drove the streets at 5:00am, it was all rain. It was rain when we were at the bus stop. Parents on Facebook were saying that it’s ultimately the parent’s choice to send the kid. Well, yes and no. Had school gone on, it would not have been excused. Rack up a few unexcused absences and suddenly the state gets involved. On the other hand, how does that look to your children. You have to model responsible behavior. If school is on, you go to school. If your work is on, you go to work (like Loran did) – those are your commitments. You leave early, you bundle up, you act in a safe manor. And, coming from the viewpoint of a Minnesotan, we would have gone to school. No question. So, when the district said, “Game on” – we said, “Let’s do this!”
In the end, if the bus had slid off the road, it would have been frightening and there may have been injuries, but she’s safer in that big bus driving slowly up and down those hills with an experienced driver, than in a car with me surrounded by similarly sized vehicles who aren’t good at driving. If anything, I feel like we should applaud those bus drivers who got the job done, kept the children safe, the busses on the road, and said, “Let’s do this!”
But maybe Ella should get a +1 on her attendance record…I’m just sayin’.
Happy to see this smile in my backseat!
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