Parents grapple with second day of school closures: ‘I’m looking at this as a safety measure’

Cheryl Buckman, whose seventh-grade son attends Ruth Batson Academy in Dorchester, said she supported the decision to call off school for a second day.

Nearly 2 feet of snow dropped on Boston, and in her neighborhood, roads and sidewalks remained a sloppy mess, she said.

“There’s no way you can clear it all in one day,” Buckman said. “I’d rather they take the second day. I’m looking at this as a safety measure.”

A pedestrian walked on slush left on Prince Street in the North End section in Boston on Monday.David L. Ryan/ Globe Staff

Boston Public Schools have about 100 buildings to clean up before students return to school, and they need the time to do the work, she said.

Despite the time off, Buckman said her son hasn’t yet grown restless.

“He’s in seventh grade, you’d think he’d be locked into the electronics daily, but no, he’s been outside three times today,” Buckman said.

But for Eugenia Moorehead, a Nubian Square parent of two, the two-day closure made things difficult for her.

“We kind of depend on that school lunch,” Moorehead said. “I remember when we were kids, climbing over mountains of snow.”

“I don’t feel that this is worth it,” she said.

Moorehead said she also has neighbors asking her to watch their kids due to the snow day.

“People can’t afford this right now,” she said. “Child care and food, this is not OK.”

Moorehead’s son attends a school within walking distance, the Higginson/Lewis K-8, while her daughter goes to the much further Gardner Pilot Academy.

She’s confident she could’ve made it work, though.

“We would’ve gotten my baby to school,” she said. “I was born in Mission Hill, I went to school in Brighton, and we made our way to school.”

Jessica Thornton, a Beacon Hill mom, said she figures deciding to call a snow day must be a “difficult and nuanced decision.”

”It will hit some families much harder than others,” she said in a text. “For us, I am pleased to have a snow day inside.”

Julianna Barrett, a Boston mother, weighed in on a Facebook post about the decision.

“Boston needs to be closed one more day it’s not safe and they have no where to stand for there buses, my child’s safety comes first!” she wrote.

A social media post by Newton school officials said, “we hate to miss the learning but are worried for student safety accessing sidewalks, schools and parking lots.”

Several parents responded, saying the decision made good sense to them considering the conditions of the roads Monday evening.

Two-year-old Mara Horine and her parents Joe and Amy, didn’t let a giant snow-plow created mound of snow in from of their Newton home stop them from having a fun time Monday.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff

The superintendent of Reading Public Schools told families in an email Monday that he understands the decision isn’t “ideal” for them but the school grounds are not in a condition to safely open on Tuesday.

“Our DPW and Facilities teams have been working tirelessly around the clock on snow removal and site preparation, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued efforts and commitment to our schools,” Superintendent Tom Milaschewski wrote. “Despite this work, our buildings and surrounding areas are not yet in a position to open safely for students and staff tomorrow.”

“We recognize that additional closures are not ideal,” he continued. “However, the safety of our students, staff, and families remains our top priority and we must make decisions with that responsibility at the forefront.”

Milaschewski said he anticipated “a regular school opening on Wednesday.”

The situation was the same at Wakefield Public Schools, officials said in an email to families.

“The additional day will allow us to continue clearing and hauling snow away from parking lots and sidewalks to support a safe return for our students and staff,” the email said.

When calling a snow day, school leaders weigh many factors, such as timing and snow fall projections, progress on the cleanup of roads and sidewalks, and other factors.

They also have to consider the mandatory 180-day school calendar. Five snow days are built into the calendar. Any snow days over that limit have to be made up, usually at the end of the school year in June.

Hector Camargo dug his car out after being blocked in by snow plows in Quincy on Monday. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Some parents sparred on social media over whether a second snow day is a good or bad idea.

One commenter on Revere’s Facebook page assailed the decision to close for another day.

“This is ridiculous people have to go to work our kids need to be in school!” a poster said. “It’s not even snowing in the ’80s we would go to school in a blizzard this got to stop.”

Others balked at Bassett’s response.

“School isn’t daycare and it’s not the ’80s anymore,” one post said.

Derek Nobrega with his son, Miles, 6 sliding down a hill at Presidents Golf Course in Quincy on Monday.

Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

Shannon Larson of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Tonya Alanez can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @talanez. John Hilliard can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at john_hilliard.70. Follow him on Bluesky at iamjohnhilliard.bsky.social. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @huffakingit.