(WHTM) \u2014 A school bus picks up students at 10 a.m., and the official temperature is 12 degrees. Usually, it arrives at 8 a.m. when it is 7 degrees. Two hours later \u2014 five degrees warmer \u2014 some parents wonder what gives?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen social media commentary from some parents regarding that,\u201d said Brandon Long, spokesperson for the West Shore School District.<\/p>\n
Close<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n As Pennsylvania sits in a deep freeze, two-hour delays continue across the Commonwealth. Parents, in turn, rearrange their schedules for the foreseeable future because it\u2019s cold, which happens a lot in the winter here.<\/p>\n \u201cA two-hour delay allows buses to make sure that they\u2019re running properly, that they get started properly in the cold,\u201d Long said. \u201cDaylight helps everything. Drivers are able to see the kids easier over the snow. The kids are able to be warmed up just a little more by that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Latest Winter Weather School Delays <\/a><\/p>\n Carrie Rowe, the state education secretary, often had to make the call to cancel or delay school while she was a superintendent in Beaver.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most difficult decisions that we have,\u201d she said. \u201cWe always center it on student safety first. There\u2019s no surprise in that.\u201d<\/p>\n Some parents complain her district didn\u2019t make the decision soon enough, she said. Other times, she made the call too early, and the weather the next day wasn\u2019t something she would\u2019ve canceled for.<\/p>\n Post-COVID, the state gives schools five flexible instruction days, which allow students to learn from home. Some parents would prefer zero.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard people say, \u2018Well, back in my day, we would go to school when it was this cold, and we would put plastic bags over our shoes so that our shoes would stay dry,’\u201d Rowe said.<\/p>\n The state gives schools a lot of local control and delayed school days count as full days. The state\u2019s 500 school districts still must have either 180 days in school or 990 hours of instruction.<\/p>\n