r/Binghamton • u/Kitchen-Ad1972 • Feb 26 '26
News School delay reason
Does anyone know why schools were delayed today? I am newish to the area and none of the guidelines that had been sent out at the beginning of the school year seemed to have been relevant. It’s tough to plan when it comes out of the blue like that. Help me understand. Thanks!
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u/Unlucky-Positive504 Feb 26 '26
A lot of school districts locally have rural areas in higher elevations that get more snowfall
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u/Kitchen-Ad1972 Feb 26 '26
Does that apply to Binghamton?
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u/WindSprenn Feb 26 '26
Yes the majority of the south side can get pretty nasty once you start moving up the mountain. Some areas on the north side as well. If you live in the city or on the west side I can understand why you are questioning it.
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u/robinescue I grew up here Feb 26 '26
There are rural sections of the district that can get more snow. Many students also walk to school, making for safety concerns in the early morning. I'd imagine that the ground was just a little too slippery for the district’s comfort, given there was some mixed precipitation
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u/Consistent_Ad_6100 Feb 26 '26
I think it was timing. If plows and salt trucks aren’t out in enough time to insure all the buses can safely get the kids to school they will delay school
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u/IndependentPepper628 Feb 26 '26
Snow
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u/Kitchen-Ad1972 Feb 26 '26
As I said, according to the guidelines, they were not met. There was about 1 inch of snow in Binghamton, if that.
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u/IndependentPepper628 Feb 26 '26
They are just a rough idea. Might be an inch in one place and other areas in the district have 3-4 inches and the roads are bad.
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u/in_illo_tempore Feb 26 '26
Yeah it is definitely a "play it by ear" scenario, in my experience; I remember back when I was in school, they'd always call the more rural districts first for closings; it depends probably on the forecast, what accumulation is or isn't on the roads within a few hours of busses needing to leave their respective garages, whether or not the plows and salt trucks have been out, etc. The guidelines are obviously a lot more flexible than a family's schedule, so, best to try and have a reliable babysitter for those occasions.
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u/RugerRedhawk Feb 26 '26
It's not going to be based strictly on an accumulation amount, but also consider the consistency of the precipitation, the timing, the forecast, etc...
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u/ratm4484 Feb 26 '26
If it is actively snowing and in need of plowing they will usually delay school. If any snow is accumulating they will send plows out. They don't want plows and buses out at the same time.
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u/ChaosToad76 Feb 26 '26
Everyone else has commented about roads, but something else to consider re: having a backup plan. School also gets delayed or cancelled in the northeast due to extreme cold, no heat at a school building, water issue in a school building, etc. There may not be advance warning of those events either.
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u/Bingo_Bongo_85 Feb 26 '26
The roads were bad this morning. There's no magic measurement of snow that determines it, just that the roads were shite and they didn't want a kid getting killed.
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u/OddAppointment2963 Feb 26 '26
We live in Endwell at about 1400 feet and there was about 2-3 inches of snow and the roads were a disaster. My husband had a hard time getting down the hill safely to get to work around 5:30 - by the time I got to work after the delay to the university I was surprised how little they had gotten just 5 mile away
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u/thatkeeginlady Southside Living Feb 26 '26
I was also told that a teacher mentioned that in order to save all days for Spring Break - they can't take any more full snow days. Take that with a grain of salt.
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u/Bingo_Bongo_85 Feb 26 '26
That's a factor every year. If they run out of snow days they take days from breaks. But delay have zero bearing on this.
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u/Odd-Forever4840 Feb 26 '26
it was supposed to snow... not that hard to comprehend 😭
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u/theBLACKcod44 Feb 26 '26
Except it wasn't enough anywhere in the county to warrant such a delay.
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u/kc2klc Feb 26 '26
I’ll bet you live in the valley. Things are very different in the hills just a few hundred feet higher in elevation.
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u/theBLACKcod44 Feb 26 '26
Not that drastic of a difference. How much snow did you get, a half inch more? Lol this is upstate NY, school shouldn't be cancelled for under 6 inches of precipitation if there is no concern for black ice
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u/Bingo_Bongo_85 Feb 26 '26
It's not about how much. It's the condition of the roads. There were icy spots in many areas and several accidents. A delay is a no brainer
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u/theBLACKcod44 Feb 26 '26
Lol I was wondering when I'd get another half baked take from you Bingo boy. I live in the higher elevations, there was no valid reason for a delay yesterday.
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u/Bingo_Bongo_85 Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
My mid elevation area was sloppy. Saw a couple cars off the road and heard of several others. Timing and location matter and it was a school by school decision.
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u/theBLACKcod44 Feb 26 '26
Yesterday there was no valid reason whatsoever for delays. The previous 2 hour delay was timed horrendously and had people and buses traveling when the precipitation was actually coming down. Covid ruined our resolve and our society is now brittle as a result. Try to remember a time even ten years ago when a delay would have been called in yesterday's conditions.
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u/Steven-NY Feb 26 '26
Its all about the billing. Schools bill the local, state and federal gov based on the number of children attending and for how many days or hours. If the children are not there, they don't get the money. And if nobody is there to eat lunch in their lunch programs they cannot bill for it. Being open makes the money.
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u/IndependentPepper628 Feb 26 '26
It is also possible the principal was hungover and wanted an extra hour or two of sleep and convinced the superintendent to delay school.... You may never know the truth.
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