Teachers and Snow Days

[Ric.ror]

Should they get paid?

I managed to get to work - my colleague would have but her little ones school was closed.

[jno]

who knows? Maybe they live next door to school and could have hopped over the fence. Maybe they have to drive 30 miles through snowdrifts on the Yorkshire moors. Hard to generalise.

[squarebear]

No they should NOT get paid as they haven't turned up to work. It's disgusting.
I would be expected to take a day's holiday if I decided not to go in because it was a little chilly and a bit of snow outside.

[squarebear]

If they can't get there, that's hardly the employer's fault. The teachers should have been aware of travel issues when they applied for the job.

[4getmenot]

but it may be school is closed because its dangerous for pupils to get there so teachers should still get paid

[squarebear]

Surely, that should be decided during the day? You can't just not turn up because you think the children won't come. This country is a joke.

[sara3]

I'm working from home today, but one of my colleagues was told to go to work.. and his car is now embedded in a brick wall.

btw, if the schools had been open in that area, he may have hit a few children too.....

I'm not choosing to stay at home for fun, I'm choosing the safest option.

[youngmafbog]

In some cases it is justified.

Where I am there was no snow this morning yet schools closed.

What a joke

[squarebear]

Exactly. A few flakes fall and the schools close. If any other profession did this, there would be uproar.

[jno]

there's not a lot of snow here, but there's no doubt parts of the country have had more than just 'a few flakes'.

[jake-the-peg]

In some cases it's a matter of what the school busses decide.

If they don't think it's safe to take a bus full of school kids on the road they won't go and if the school busses aren't running the heads will not open.

[B00]

It's not just the snow though is it? Round here (Lancs) we've had ALOT of snow. That's sort of clearing on the roads leaving pure ice in it's place- total nightmare.

That being said, Mini Boo's school stayed open, so no complaints from me so far.

[another-view]

Dare I ask what has changed since the seventies? We used to go to school in all weathers. The school was only ever closed ONCE and that was when the boiler packed in.

[pericat]

Our schools arent open till tomorrow so we shall see and we get it milder than you do !!!

[Coobeastie]

Do we actually know if they are being paid?

If the head teacher, governors, local authority or whoever else is in charge of the school decides to shut it then its hardly the fault of the teachers so they should get paid.

How many people would actually take into account being snowed in when going for a job?

I should imagine there would also be uproar if a school stayed open and it then became impossible for the kids to get home (we have already had cases over the last few days of people being trapped on impassable roads)

[B00]

another view- maybe they didn't have then the parents of little darling Charlene who'd sue the school at the drop of a hat if their little darling took a fall?

[squarebear]

As with another-view, we never had a school closure and I would like to think that the schools took care of us infundibulum. We made sure we took our wellies and scarves then changed into school gear once we got there.

[squarebear]

"I should imagine there would also be uproar if a school stayed open and it then became impossible for the kids to get home."

Surely that should be decided on the day if the snow got worse rather on the previous night's weather forecast?

[Coobeastie]

Surely the logistics of having the kids in school and then deciding to shut it at midday would be far worse than just shutting it in the morning. Imagine having to contact every single parent (if they are contactable) to tell them to drop everything and come and pick their kids up. What would you do with the kids if you couldn't get hold of the parents?

[squarebear]

What do they do now? Expect the parents to take a day off to look after their children? Chances are they would be able to get home. We don't live in Canada you know.