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THE STATUS ORANGE weather warning “doesn’t change things for schools at this point” as they continue to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, the principals’ association has said.
Yesterday a number of schools closed around the country, the majority being in counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Cork, Wicklow, Tipperary and Limerick.
That was during a Status Yellow snow-ice warning, as well as a Status Yellow low temperature warning.
Met Éireann has since issued a Status Orange low temperature warning, which is to remain in place until 10am tomorrow.
Paul Crone, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), explained what it means for schools.
“All it means really is that that schools will just have to monitor the weather warnings overnight, and they will have to do a risk assessment on their own school premises and the access roads to the school overnight and in the morning to make sure that it is safe to open tomorrow.”
He told RTÉ’s News at One that principals in schools affected have been dealing with no power and no water. As of this morning, around 10,000 homes and premises nationwide were without power, while 17,000 were without water.
Some schools are mainly being inconvenienced by heavy snowfall and frost on the premises, which is making access difficult.
Many schools will be trying to get local contractors to maybe scrape the yard in the school … spreading salt, to try and make sure that they can make the school safe to open,” said Crone.
“A lot of them are having success in that, and some of them are not having success with that.”
Following a meeting to discuss the ongoing cold weather this morning, the National Emergency Coordination Group said some school transport services are not operating due to weather conditions on roads in affected counties.
“A decision to close a school is a matter for individual school management authorities around the country, as they are best placed to do this in light of local weather conditions, which vary significantly in regions,” the group said in a statement.
“Safety remains the foremost priority. If a school plans to close or where transport is affected, communications of all such decisions will issue locally between schools and parents or transport providers and parents.”
The group said the Department of Education, along with other Government departments, will continue to monitor developments with the weather and engage with key stakeholders.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday, Education Minister Norma Foley said there would not be national direction on whether schools should open or close, given the varied weather conditions in different areas.
She also said that schools would not be instructed to teach online if they did not have the resources, such as power or supplies at home, to do so.
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When I was a kid, my mother put me in a duffel coat, scarf and gloves and off I went to school knee deep in snow. Today’s kids are Molly coddled. I blame the schools and parents. To think some schools closed in Dublin yesterday and we had no snow at all. Rap them up in cotton wool why don’t you. They’ll never grow up to be men or women with guts.
@Brian k.: and most of them getting dropped in 4 wheel drive jeeps and suv’s so its not as if they can’t get to the school
@and the hit’s just keep coming: yeah ??? That’s news to me
@Dave G Doe: Dinosaur? That was up to 20 years ago. All schools in Midleton opening late tomorrow. Forecast? -1degC! And Midleton area had very little snow. No sign of schools staying open later to compensate either. Complete overreaction because it’s going to be -6 at the other end of the county. Rant over.
@kevin rock: probably not in the inner city …..
@Brian k.:
@Brian k.: 100% correct Brian. A bunch of fragile incapables is what this country is now.
@and the hit’s just keep coming: not everyone drives a jeep and SUVs. So many gladiator men in the comment section.
@Tom O’ Donnell: I reside in Midleton and yeah the roads were good but the footpaths were lethal. Also a major factor would have been that a vast majority of students come in from neighbouring towns and villages. The responsibility of the school is to all students, not just those within walking distance.
@Brian k.: If a school has no water or no electricity due to weather then it should not open.
@Brian k.: things that didn’t happen
@Brian k.: what about the staff, many of whom have to drive over impassable snow and ice from rural areas to get to the school. The whole school community is not always in a position to put on duffel coats and walk to work.
Young lads these days prefer to be prancing around in their rainbow feather boas, growing up to be soft and not manly, real men go out for a game of hurling and come home to a good plate of stew
@Meatball Martin: no good television roll playing anymore like the a team, macgyver, knight rider, airwolf, blue thunder, chips, magnum pi, Miami vice and father Dowling.
School Boards have ultimate responsibility for the welfare of staff and students. Closures for these reasons are sensible and in the light of extreme weather will prevent injuries and ill health.
The lesson learnt from Covid is that education deserves central government supports not interference.
@Canon: See my comment above. Unfortunately local decisions aren’t necessarily sensible or even based on local information. Shortening the school day should be saved for exceptional circumstances, not normal circumstances, and the benefits of an action like this should always outweigh the downsides (loss of education, inconvenience to working parents etc.)
@Tom O’ Donnell: Impassible icy country roads is exceptional for us unfortunately, zero infrastructure for anything outside of base level, even then 67% of all road deaths happening in the countryside (thats without ice).
Young lads should be out playing hurling, make men out of them
@Meatball Martin: the sliotars on u
@Meatball Martin: you love to watch the young fellas in their shorts !?
@Meatball Martin: if you don’t play hurling that doesn’t mean you’re not a man.
If the IPA centres are so bad for the uninvited “guests”. I am sure we can go fund a cruise ship to send them back.
‘Invites’ are letterpress printed, gold foil, flock of doves :)
Why oh why oh why…does everything come back to the schools…
@Dramafree 2023: One of the v few decent systems we have, watch us destroy it.
It’s just a bit of snow ffs. A media driven frenzy to condition the masses for muh climate change
@Carl Valderrama: depends where you are, we can’t leave our estate for 3 days, so not everyone got that little bit of snow.
@Carl Valderrama: imo it’s been beautifully utilised by the Journal, WE create the fuss, they just report and post, ad revenue grows, people get paid.
@Thesaltyurchin: Its waay madder that people look out the window and automatically think ‘hmm the worlds weather must be this’ :’)
have your say