By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer
LYNNWOOD — As snow fell over the Edmonds School District early Wednesday morning, some parents were miffed as they monitored news and computer sources for what they believed would be a two-hour delay or even a full-day cancellation of classes.
Word never came. Schools remained open, but in many cases were hardly on time. Seven schools within the district lost power for part of Wednesday. In some schools, a third of the students were absent.
Stacy Hollis stood at the bus stop alongside her sons, a fourth-grader and kindergartener at Beverly Elementary, for close to an hour before finally giving up. By the time they headed home, school had already been in session for a half-hour.
"I was amazed they didn’t just delay school from starting," she said.
"To me, it’s really a safety and communication issue," said Bernadette Somers, who also has a child at Beverly and worried about the road conditions.
Wayne Robertson, superintendent of the school district, said the snowfall couldn’t have come at worse time for making a decision. Moreover, the technology that the district relies on failed in more than one instance.
"We felt we didn’t have an option of changing our schedule because of the late fall of the snow," Robertson said.
Some students whose parents leave early for work could have been left with no place to go, he said.
The district makes its decision by 5:30 a.m., because that’s roughly the time buses start to roll for some high school pickups.
"I was out on the road at 5:30 and the temperature was slightly above freezing … and the weather reports were this is going to go away," Robertson said.
The snow started sticking as high school students arrived at school.
In many cases, it was the elementary school parents, such as Hollis and Somers, who experienced the greatest frustration. Snow was falling and they were left to guess.
They monitored TV and radio broadcasts and checked the district’s Web site.
No luck. Edmonds, like several other districts, couldn’t gain access to the Public Schools Emergency Communications System, a reporting network schools rely on to reach the media to report bus route changes, delays, power outages and cancellations.
The server for the district’s Web site also was down during the crucial window of time when many parents were searching for information.
The media and district Web site messages would have told parents about the schools that were without power and warned them to expect late buses, Robertson said.
You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446 or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.
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