An Avoidable Failure

Ben Chanenson

Yesterday, the threat of snow and freezing rain led to schools around the Main Line closing early.  Lower Merion High School dismissed students at 11:40 am. Conestoga High School followed at 11:45, while Radnor High School brought up the rear with a 1:00 pm dismissal. As such, when Radnor students left school, they left during the height of the storm. The slippery, snow-covered roads coupled with limited visibility and heavy traffic yielded long commutes home for Radnor students. However, this unquestionable inconvenience and aggravation was not the real problem: it was safety. Radnor’s decision to release students at the last possible minute caused student in buses and student drivers behind the wheel to take to the road as cars slipped around us.  Someone could have gotten hurt.
Radnor encountered the same issue last year when it dismissed too late.  Making a mistake once is understandable, but making the same mistake twice is depressing.  Gauging the weather is no easy task, but the District should err on the side of safety.
Radnor enjoys being unique.  We take pride in standing out amongst our neighboring schools.  Nevertheless, we should not handle student safety differently. Radnor should have dismissed school before the snow picked up, just like the other public schools in the area.  
Teachers at the High School often tell students to be proactive.  We are advised to tell our teachers beforehand that we are missing class, instead of after.  Radnor was not proactive yesterday, but it should have been. Radnor should practice what it teaches.