Hearing the words “delayed opening” or “snow day” get announced the night before school is a surprise for students. But hearing those words nine times in the span of 19 school days was not something students or teachers prepared for. Lesson plans were altered, midterms were pushed back and houses and streets were flooded and damaged.
The series of delays and days off began on Dec. 18, when West Essex shut down for the day due to excessive rain and flooding. This unexpected day off was just what some students needed to catch up, but set many others back with the damage and flooding that left them unable to leave their homes. The next day was announced as a delayed opening, and if that wasn’t enough, the following two days were changed to a delayed opening as well. Finally, it seemed that the unpredictable, wild weather returned to normal. However, weeks later, the hazardous rain returned, causing a series of delayed openings on Jan. 10, 11, 12 and 16. Friday, Jan. 19, was changed to a half day, this time due to snow. This resulted in the first day of midterms being pushed back to Jan. 23, storming up more chaos at West Essex.
Superintendent Damion Macioci said making these weather-related decisions is a tough call.
“Weather decisions for early dismissal, delayed opening and complete closure are made with careful consideration,” Macioci said. “The flooding conditions created challenges with road closures and impacted travel in and around the campus. The delayed openings helped with traffic flow and allowed for extra time for staff and families to travel to school.”
Though the vast amounts of delays, days off and half days took time away from teachers’ lesson plans, the school opted to play it safe. Main streets used by many to get to school were blocked off, and flooding poured into houses. Senior Cassidy Mooney was one of many students affected.
“There was so much rain that my whole basement flooded,” Mooney said. “The floors were completely ruined.”
Despite the past months of rough weather, now that spring is approaching, West Essex can hopefully get through the weather seamlessly. But, many students appreciated an extra few hours of sleep last semester, providing reprieve from the hard days of the dead of winter.
