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Guilford superintendent prefers to wait before delaying school

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

(Updated Thursday, March 5 - 8:00 am)

By J. Brian Ewing
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO - Guilford County Schools Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green said Wednesday he is open to reviewing the system's timeliness for announcing weather-related delays.

Over the past few days, anxious Guilford County parents, students and school personnel played a waiting game as they watched other school systems announce their closings and delays before bedtime.

Guilford County, though, has been more deliberative. The school system did not announce its two-hour delay Wednesday until about 5 a.m.

"This is in line with how we have typically handled these decisions" in the past, Green said.

Several area school districts announced they were delaying or canceling Wednesday classes on Tuesday night in time for the late TV news.

Green said he understands how parents could wonder why an early decision didn't happen here. He said he wanted students to have a full day of class, especially after missing school Monday and Tuesday, but he also wanted to ensure the roads were safe.

"I hope they will appreciate we're trying to make the best decision," he said.

In years past, school transportation officials have gone out in the early-morning hours across the county examining road conditions and potential hazards for parents, school buses and students who might drive themselves to school.

Sharon Shepard, president of the Guilford County Council of PTAs, said the issue has not come up during recent meetings, but she said the delayed announcements are a common concern among parents.

"If it appears that conditions aren't going to change, it would be great if they could make that call the night before," she said, adding sometimes that's not possible. "It's a new administration, so I'm sure they're working some things out."

Green said he and his staff will review the process and see if they can make decisions on weather-related delays and closings sooner.

The Sunday night snowfall led to school being canceled Monday and Tuesday. Students will make up those days June 12 and 15.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

File photo (News & Record)

Photo Caption: Guilford County Schools superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green

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Rogue685

March 4, 2009 - 2:13 pm EST

Mr. Green, I respect your efforts for trying to get a full day. However, I happened to wake up at about 5AM this morning (WED) and decided to check the fox8 website. Guilford was not on the list. I get my son up at 5:50AM to catch a 6:40AM bus. You must have made the decision or posted it right after 5AM when I checked. The automated phone call came at 6:35 (5 mins before the bus). Surely you must have some idea what time various students get their buses. Perhaps the earliest pick ups can get that phone call sooner.

ncnole

March 4, 2009 - 7:21 pm EST

I checked the GCS TV channel at about 5:30 and there was no message indicating a delay. I checked the GSC website and it did indicate a delay. The delay was not posted on the TV until after 5:30.

The problem with last night, Monday night,and even Sunday night was that there was nothing to be gained by waiting until later in the evening or even until morning. A significant snow storm was on the way. Anybody watching the weather channel early in the evening could see that the snow was coming straight up I-85, yet GCS didn't call school until well after 9:00. It was obvious that black ice was going to be a problem Tuesday morning and was a concern this morning. That was evident right after sunset. It wasn't going to get any warmer overnight and there was a lot of ice and moisture still on many of the roads. The ice was going to stay frozen and the moisture was going to freeze. It's that simple.

I have no idea what Mr. Green was hoping for Tuesday morning or this morning.

Theo

March 5, 2009 - 12:18 am EST

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at the response from our new Superintendent. It appears the lack of common sense escalates, the higher you move up the School administrative ladder. It is also appears that the needs of the parents play no part in this new administrations priority list. It’s sad to think those making these very easy decisions know something all the other school systems in area don’t know. It’s funny how the other systems can formulate the same decision 12 hours earlier than Guilford County. It appears a lack of preparedness on the School systems part should always create a sense of urgency on the parent’s part. This type backward thinking process is why our School administration can not be taken seriously and it is also evident the problem goes much deeper than the Superintendent.

terri

March 5, 2009 - 6:56 pm EST

I think Mr.Green should think about us parents who have more than one child. It will not kill anyone to miss a day so please make your decision a lot early. I wish i could move my children to the other citys who had the respect not to keep us waiting only to discover they were on a delay think of us all not just youself