Timing of Delay Announcement Upsets Parent

Weather in New England can be a tricky thing to judge, but after last night's snowfall one parent in Grafton felt the schools' decision to delay was too little, too late.

"I want you to know how upset I am in the timing of your decision to delay school this morning - we were told at 6:45 a.m. - when our children's school bus driver got the call just after they had gotten onto the bus at the top of our hill," Richard Quist said in a letter to Superintendent Jay Cummings that was shared with Patch.

According to Cummings, the plan was to open schools as planned.

“The roads had all been treated before 5 a.m. and everything was good until we got a heavy rain right as the buses started,” Cummings said. “When I contacted the Department of Public Works they said the rain could have washed enough of the salt off the road to create icy conditions.”

Cummings said the decision was made immediately and that the information was shared just after the earliest school bus runs had started.

Quist’s children were among those who had boarded the bus when the delay was made public. Although, according to Quist, as soon as the bus driver was notified of the delay they turned around and dropped all the kids off at their homes.

"I appreciate the difficulties in making 'the right call', but as the head of the school department it is your responsibility to make that decision ... and waiting so long is simply unacceptable," Quist said in his letter.

Did you find the timing of today's delay inconvenient? Were your children already heading to the Middle or High School when you found out about the delay? Share your story below in the comments.