Edmonds public schools closed Thursday

All Edmonds School District schools and programs are closed Thursday “due to dangerous conditions on many of the side roads throughout various portions of our district,” the district announced on its website.

The following are canceled:
– all after-school activities and athletic practices
– all evening events at district buildings (including non-district events)

For the status of athletic games and events, contact coaches.

Please remember to update your calendars: School days lost for weather closures must be made up. The new, current last day of school will be a districtwide early release on Friday, June 24. Thursday, June 23 is now a full day of school.

  1. The conditions are not that bad, really upset that Edmonds closes for a light dusting of snow, I could understand implementing snow routes for buses and starting late, but the whole day? Do the people that make these decisions know that single parents like myself run the risk of losing their jobs because of days like this – Employers expect people to show up to work when it its okay to travel, which it is – all major roads are clear and side streets are definitely passable. Mukilteo schools remained open, and while many schools closed – they were in areas harder hit by the weather. Mountlake Terrace (and I drove the roads) was not subdued to the extent to which closing school seems justifiable.

    I remember back in my school aged days, it took feet of snow or ice storms that shut cities down to close school. I understand safety is key – but I kind of feel like some recent closures including today are very “First Snowflake Freakout Lady” ish, and its upsetting.

    1. The ESD has a pretty good history of being very careful and thoughtful in the decision to close schools, and has never, in my memory, made those decisions lightly or without merit. I grew up and graduated in the ESD, and now my teens are in the same district.

      The district is large and covers a very broad area of Snohomish County, including many hilly areas, and driving around MLT or up to Mukilteo does NOT constitute a full analysis of the current conditions. Additionally, the decisions are not based solely on how a single passenger vehicle can fair on the roads, but also how safe is travel for large school buses and kids who walk to school. These factors MUST be considered, and I believe ARE considered, when making a closure decision. They also have to consider how conditions can change over the course of the morning AND through to the afternoon when kids are let out again. Safety for our children in ALL areas of the district is paramount and overwhelmingly outweighs any inconvenience to a parent. While I don’t disagree that the roads in our immediate area were marginal, I stand behind and support the district’s decision to do its part to maintain safety for the kids.

      I personally couldn’t care less about the inconvenience to another parent or that parent’s job, compared to the safety and well-being of our children. Your statement is selfish and narrow-minded.

      I agree with ‘guest’ below that parents should be aware of conditions and prepare with a back-up plan in case schools are closed and a parent needs to work. To not plan ahead and be ready with whatever arrangements are needed for your own family is not the fault of the district, but the parents’.

      1. That was an unnecessarily brutal rebuttal from you. It wasnt only about the inconvenience of one parent, the children missed a day of classes as well. Many many parents were caught in the same situation, taking into consideration all of the things you stated, I feel that the closure was not appropriate, and neither was your attack on the frustrated parent.

        1. Wow… “brutal”? “Attack??” Neither, in my opinion, accurately describes my response. For the most part, my response, while stating an opinion, was very general and not focused on any particular individual, and merely stated my opinion. Yes, paragraph three DID state an opinion that was more focused on the previous post, but CERTAINLY not ‘brutal’ or ‘attacking’ and to call it either is an extreme exaggeration.

          I stand behind my opinion, and my post and further back it by stating it publicly with my real name and without hiding behind an anonymous pseudonym.

          Additionally, the ‘missed a day of classes’ argument is invalid as all snow days are made up for in accordance to state/federal laws. That in itself is the damning argument FOR closing school if ANY threat exists to our children: they don’t miss any time in the classroom, so why jeopardize their safety?

  2. For the record, Mukilteo School District did NOT remain open. They didn’t have an emergency closure today, because they’re already closed ALL THIS WEEK for mid-winter break.

  3. To the frustrated parent…You have to look at the WHOLE picture…Edmonds School District serves more than JUST Mountlake Terrace. I myself work for the Edmonds School District and the last thing I want is for one of OUR kids to be hurt by a car slidding into them. You need to have a backup plan for your children for days like this. I did when my kids were little.

    1. To the guest who works for the Edmonds School District….did you actually get out in your car and drive around this morning??? I’m thinking not. Besides, in weather like this, the ice is more of an issue than snow…there wasn’t that much ice. I’m sorry the people who made the decision to bag it are not competent to drive in as light of weather as this…I’d much rather they stay home than congest the roads going 5 mph because a snow flake hit their windshield. But to shut a whole district down, probably not appropriate action.

      I drove at 345 am, from Terrace to Mukilteo. The roads were NOT bad at all. The later the morning went, the better things got. Help me to understand what cars were sliding around? I never used 4 wheel drive the whole way…wasn’t needed, roads were clear enough. It is snowing again now…it’s still not a big deal. Maybe you should just call in to work tomorrow and give a substitute an opportunity to make some money. I feel for the frustrated parent. I’m not that old per-say to have a lot of “when I was a kid walking to school” stories, but I do remember it taking a substantial amount to close schools…not a few inches…at the most, it would be late start….which would had been appropriate enough for today.

  4. I can’t believe that a dusting of snow (< 1") causes the Edmonds school district to close. Who makes these decisions and what data do they use when making their decisions?

  5. As has already been stated, the decision is made for the school district as a whole, not on a school by school basis. Unless one drove on all the streets leading to all of the schools in the district, you can’t know the condition of the various streets and pathways to every school. We live in MLT, but my eldest goes to school in Edmonds, at the top of a fairly steep hill. Last time it snowed, the first day school was not cancelled and buses and cars were stuck at the bottom of the hill. Parents set up a line to help the kids up the hill. I’m thankful for the parents that did this, but would prefer to have the kids safe at home, knowing that the dangerous conditions will pass quickly.

    I also deliver a publication weekly in Bothell, and was surprised to be able to easily drive around the streets of MLT, but drove into Meridian area of Bothell (not more than a mile or two from my home), and found the side streets slippery and dangerous to drive on. Conditions in this area from one street to the next are amazingly varied in this area, so am glad that the safety of our children is thought of above any inconvenience.

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