I am writing this in haste and without full information; which is rarely a recipe for success. But, I’m ticked, so I’m doing it anyway.
A bad storm with some tornado activity was coming our way right as school was scheduled to let out. The county weather sirens blew just before school let out. Our kids walk, but my wife comes to get them. So, she calls the school to ask what is going on. The school reports that they are being held until the weather passes. The tornado warning that caused the sirens is scheduled to end at 3:30 p.m. My wife sees kids running down the street at 3:20 p.m. and so she high tails it to the school.
At 3:25 p.m., the weather has not passed, the really bad stuff is coming, and the tornado warning is being extended until 4:15. Nevertheless, my kids have apparently been released to go home. They would have walked out into some really awful weather except for some heads up action by my daughter’s old kindergarten teacher who knew my kids and how they came and went from school. She grabbed them as they were headed out the door and told them to stay put. Because the weather was so bad, my wife headed back with the car. By that time, the sirens were going off, hail was coming down, and everyone had to take shelter in the bathroom. The kids were apparently terrified.
Bus riding kids were apparently sent out in buses into the teeth of the storm, only to have the buses recalled. Parents of those kids were in limbo, wondering whether their kids were safe.
What a cluster.
Update It gets better. Apparently the kids weren’t just allowed to go when the brunt of the storm was approaching; they were actively instructed to do so. Someone announced over the PA that the kids were to “Leave School Immediately.”
Update #2 The principal sent out a response that seemed a little heavy on the “mistakes were made” variety of the passive voice. In her defense, she was not present at school today. But, the letter failed to address what seems to me to be the central screw up of the whole thing. The tornado sirens went off. The tornado warning was on until 3:30. Looking at a weather map, it was clear at 3:10 that something was coming, but a little more slowly than anticipated. Releasing the kids at 3:20 was a Bad Idea. Not only that, they were told to “Leave School Immediately.” No mention of that in the principal’s explanation.
The plan was to have the students remain in the building using our safety protocols until the Tornado Warning expired at 3:30 pm.
. . .
While preparing to go home, there was an announcement made that indicated all should leave, and this created coordination difficulties with our dismissal procedures.
. . .
Students were dismissed and then there was an additional warning given by the National Weather Service at 3:36 pm.
I understand the CYA instinct; but this time line just completely dodges the central fact of the “leave immediately” announcement at 3:20. . . sending the kids out into the teeth of the storm on foot. I had calmed down because everybody got home safe and sound; but the response is getting me riled up again.
LSC and TSC held their kids; my son was actively annoyed that he couldn’t leave Jeff High School. Having lived in Kansas for much of my childhood, I have a deep and abiding fear of storms and as such had zero sympathy for his position. (I think seeing an elementary school flattened by a storm gives me a perspective that he lacks.) I hope WLSC learns from this.
I imagine it would!
Yeah, but he’s a teenager and I know nothing… Cheer up, your time to be ignorant is coming.
Wow, Doug, that’s almost unbelievable. I remember back in the day that the principal would tell us to hurry along home if we were under a tornado *watch*. Back in those days, everyone lived in close proximity to the school. I don’t remember that there were ever severe thunderstorm or tornado *warnings* just as school was letting out, but if there had been, I’ve no doubt that we would have been held at school.
What is it with Hoosiers and storm safety of late?