As a school in Maine, we experience a fair amount of snow and ice during the winter months. My concern is that, under these conditions, there are some days when delaying or canceling school may be safer. Being a boarding school, it’s understandable that canceled school days are rare. However, the expectation is not that every heavy snow leads to cancellation; rather, it is that further, more timely precautions are taken. 

For example, last year, a hail storm covered the ground in ice and the next day, students, teachers, and faculty struggled all day –slipping, sliding, and falling. There are many other days during winter when icy pathways make walking around difficult, risking a sprained wrist or ankle, a hurt knee, a concussion, or something more serious if one isn’t careful. Since we are on a hill, areas such as the path from Ricker to Dunn, the path to the Alfond, and outdoor stairways can be especially dangerous and could cause such injuries.

Taking the time and precautions necessary to ensure campus safety during these conditions is important, especially when considering the international students at Kents Hill who are unfamiliar with navigating snow and ice. Moreover, injured students have to be extremely careful in these conditions. Can you imagine handling crutches while trying to avoid black ice? Lastly, while we greatly appreciate the maintenance team, it is genuinely unfair to them to have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. after a snow or hailstorm to quickly clear the pathways so that school can start on time. It would be much safer and fair if they were given the time to thoroughly salt and clear the pathways without having to wake up early with a quick deadline in mind.

Sometimes a canceled school day is a much safer one tomorrow.