I was watching Fox41 this morning as the morning team did its best to make viewers think the two inches of snow we got overnight justified the panicked reaction JCPS officials announced at 5 — SNOW DAY!
The station sent Lindsay Allen to Elizabethtown in hopes of finding some weather-induced crashes and back-ups, but she stood in front of a side street with barely a hint of the white stuff as cars whizzed by her on the main drag. Shots outside the studios showed wet streets.
It was fun watching Lindsay measure the total – 2 inches – and she found a woman who said she was packing a load of supplies in her car, and another guy who had fishtailed.
But was it enough to justify calling off classes?
I don’t think so. All over Jefferson County right now, parents are calling bosses asking for sympathy because they have no child care options. They’re using vacation and sick days so they don’t lose their jobs. Kids are sleeping in, but they’ll be looking for something to do soon.
JCPS officials will be asked to justify their decision today, I hope, by the mainstream media. They’ll talk about how unsafe it is for buses on the side streets. Maybe that’s an argument for the neighborhood schools bill in Frankfort, which, for one, would cut down on the number of buses on the road.
Maybe we could all use a little toughness, too. The quick trigger on school cancellation needs to be analyzed — and people need to get a little braver about going out in the snow. Most everyone not involved with JCPS is going about normal business despite snow. Dealing with a light morning snow is part of life in Louisville. If there’s not enough slow for sledding, the kids ought to be in school.
The forecast says the snow will stop mid-morning, and afternoon traffic won’t be affected by weather.
