Big Dogs Weblog

Anne Arundel County Schools; A Societal Issue Exposed

by Big Dog on Jan 7, 2015 at 17:41 Commentary

Anne Arundel County is a large county in the state of Maryland. Last year when a snow storm was predicted the county chose to keep its schools open even though it was snowing and other counties had delayed opening or closed. After a lot of problems the school board stated that it had made a mistake and would do better.

Yesterday a snow storm was predicted and it started snowing early in the morning. Several school systems delayed opening and some revised their status to “closed”. Anne Arundel did none of the above and remained open. There were a lot of frustrated and upset parents.

The decision to remain open proved unwise when two students on the way to school (in their own vehicle) were involved in an accident requiring them to be transported to Shock Trauma. They are home and recovering. Another student slipped in the snow and was hit by a slow moving vehicle. This student was treated for minor injuries.

The amount of snow was actually not so great with anywhere from 1-4 inches depending on location. This probably sounds trivial to those who live in Buffalo or other northern areas that regularly get a lot of snow and rarely close schools. The problem with this storm, as it often is, was the timing. The storm hit before and extended into the morning commute. If it had come much earlier or later in the morning the problems would not have been so bad.

I heard a radio interview with someone from the county who gave a number of reasons for the decision. It was not snowing when they made the call or it was not predicted to be as bad as it was or whatever. They took a decision based on whatever criteria they use. They will have to live with that.

Here is where I have an issue. During the interview the person stated that they also had to consider that there were a lot of children who, if they stayed home, would be alone or that might not even get a lunch.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is not the concern of the school. If school is closed it is up to PARENTS to make arrangements and to feed their children. The school is not a sitter; it is a place of learning. Parents should have plans for when school is closed and if their children are home it is their responsibility to ensure their children have supervision (if required) and are fed.

The statement from whoever that was (in the interview) is one of the problems of society. Government and its entities think they are responsible for raising our children. They are not. The fact that some families would have to make plans or some kids might not get a lunch should not factor into the decision of delaying the opening or closing the school.

Schools are responsible for educating our children, nothing more.

The issue is far wider though. You see, the reason government thinks it is in charge and should raise your children is because so many parents allow them to by not taking responsibility. I heard a number of interviews with parents who expressed that it was ridiculous that Anne Arundel County would put children’s lives in danger.

Let that sink in a minute.

If it was that dangerous why didn’t the parents keep their children home regardless of what the school decided? The school did not place anyone’s life in danger, the parents did. The school cannot possibly know the conditions all over the county and the school system certainly has much less information about how bad it is in YOUR neighborhood than YOU do. If it is bad outside and you think it is dangerous then keep your kids home.

I don’t know how many interviews I heard or how many social network postings I read where parents expressed how they could not believe the county was forcing their children to go to school.

No, the county just said the schools would be open. Parents decided to send their children despite the terrible conditions. You know who you are and if you felt it was bad and still sent them out then it is on you.

I know there are circumstances where the parents might rely on the school system decision because in their neighborhood it is not snowing or it is very light and then things get hairy on the way or later on. That can certainly happen but the parents I read or heard expressed how bad it was and that they could not believe the schools were open which means it was bad where they were. They had all the information they needed to decide and they left it up to the school.

Government is more than happy to take control of your children and take decisions based on social circumstances because parents so easily give up their control.

The school system has to decide for thousands of children (which is not to say they are blameless). Parents only have to decide for their own.

Learn a lesson from this and take control of your lives. Raise your own children and do what is right.

Government, as demonstrated by Anne Arundel County, is not competent to do it for you.

Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Tags: anne arundel, responsible, safety, socialism, society