Jumping the gun on snow days
There were numerous educational institutions in Mississippi that prematurely cancelled school this week in expectation of a winter storm that barely materialized.
Among those who had no classes and no snow Tuesday were Mississippi State University, Mississippi Delta Community College and Carroll Academy.
We don’t remember when exactly schools started giving teachers, staff and students a holiday just because snow was in the forecast, but it’s a bad habit to get into.
The schools will claim, as Mississippi State did, that they were acting with an abundance of caution, but shouldn’t there be something real to be cautious about before calling off school?
The system that worked in the past — and that thankfully most schools still use — is a fine one. Wait until early morning and see what’s actually on the roads to decide about cancelling classes.
In this age of instantaneous communication, schools don’t need much time to get the word out should the chronically inaccurate snow forecasts actually prove true.
Tim Kalich
Editor and Publisher
Greenwood Commonwealth
Fast work
The speed with which the Mississippi Legislature acted to create another avenue for getting broadband access to underserved areas of the state was remarkable.
It showed not only effective lobbying by advocates of lifting the ban on rural electric cooperatives but also how their case was imminently sensible.
If the co-ops can cost-effectively piggyback off their existing infrastructure of poles and wires and bring affordable and reliable high-speed internet to areas that don’t have it now, more power to them.
It’s been reported that 20 of the state’s 25 cooperatives have studied the feasibility of getting into the internet provider business. It would be interesting to know if any concluded they can make money at it without the federal government’s help.
Tim Kalich
Editor and Publisher
Greenwood Commonwealth
