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Closing schools is not easy decision to make

  • By the Advocate Editorial Board
  • Originally published September 8, 2010 at 6:24 p.m., updated September 8, 2010 at 6:45 p.m.

As Tropical Storm Hermine cut a path through Central Texas a couple of days ago, many school districts were confronted with a decision to remain open or close for the day.

Decisions like these are a no-win situation because no matter what you do, somebody is going to be upset. But a decision has to be made despite the consequences.

The Victoria school district administration watched the storm carefully and conferred with the Texas Department of Transportation to check road conditions, but the bottom line is anything can happen when you're trying to figure out storms.

Luckily, the district made a good decision because the weather improved. However, an argument could me made that Victoria schools are a safe place to be if the weather had gotten worse. And even if the schools had closed, students would have had to make it up later in the year.

Unfortunately, rural areas have difficulties in these cases regardless if the weather gets better.

"Every day, to some extent, every person in the school district carries the responsibility for the safety of children. So, it is a big responsibility to make the decision to delay or close school. It's not only a decision to make for 13,800 students, it is the decision that has an impact on parents and guardians and the employers of those parents and guardians," said Bob Moore, Victoria school district superintendent.

"In the county, most notably in the Guadalupe Elementary attendance area, a limited number of roads were impassable shortly before the start of school," Moore said. "We decided to hold school, but told parents, as we always do, that if they felt it is unsafe for their child to get to school, they should stay at home or move to a safe location."

Moore said some of the schools had absences, but he couldn't say that all of them were because of the weather.

As we noted, it's a tough decision, especially when the majority of roads are open and chances are the storm will pass. We do think the school district should stay in communication with the media so we in turn can keep the public aware of what the district intends to do.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.