All public and private schools in Calcasieu Parish will be closed again today as Tropical Storm Isaac brings wind and rain to Southwest Louisiana. (Michelle Higginbotham / American Press)
Parents scramble after schools shut down
Last Modified: Friday, August 31, 2012 12:28 PM
By Ashley Withers / American Press
All public and private schools in Calcasieu Parish will be closed again today as Tropical Storm Isaac brings wind and rain to Southwest Louisiana.
Calcasieu Parish Superintendent Wayne Savoy made the decision around 4 p.m. Wednesday. He said the schools would reopen Friday barring unforeseen circumstances.
All of the private schools in the parish will also remain closed, including all schools in the Diocese of Lake Charles system and the Bishop Noland Episcopal Day School. All Diocese of Lake Charles offices will also remain closed.
The area’s two charter schools, Lake Charles Charter Academy and Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy, will be closed again as well.
Other Southwest Louisiana parishes have also made the decision to close school today including Allen, Beauregard, Cameron, Jeff Davis and Vernon.
Day cares usually follow the decision of the area schools, leaving working parents to find alternate ways to care for their children.
Parents discussed the decision of the districts and most area day cares on the American Press Facebook page.
Most parents suggested the schools had made the right call to close.
Michelle Crochet LeBert said she felt it was a “great decision” to close schools Wednesday. “With the wind blowing the way it is I sure would not want my kids on a bus. (We’re) enjoying our time off.”
“Since no one can predict what a hurricane will do I think they made the right decision,” wrote Trudy Douget. “Children’s safety comes first. Day care people have families too.”
“We are loving the quality time with our family. I understand that the weather is unpredictable, but I appreciate how the school board considers the safety of our children above all else,” Erin Howard said.
Some parents found it difficult to make alternate arrangements.
“It was hard yesterday finding a last-minute sitter for my middle-schooler and infant as I work 12-hour days, but I understand why they closed.” wrote Chasity Ware Bishop.
“It’s part of being a parent and we must always have a plan B.”
Jennifer McCain Swann said she understood the reasoning behind the public school closures, but did not agree with the decision to close area day cares.
“Given that the school board has different considerations, I do not understand why day cares follow their lead. They actually are in the day care business and should consider the needs of the parents of children,” she wrote.
“When they are open, parents can still choose to keep their kids home because attendance is not mandatory. They don’t have to consider things like kids waiting for buses or walking home in bad weather, and they don’t have to consider how a power outage at a remote day care on the other side of the parish might affect them. Parents are still paying for tuition on the days the day cares are closed. I think today was a bad decision.”
Kelly Guidry, a day-care employee, disagreed.
“I understand the points in getting a discount, but I don’t agree with the people that say it was a bad call to close today. This storm was suppose to hit last night or (in the) early a.m. according to the weather I was looking at,” she wrote.
“Things change, you can never predict the weather. If you live in the south you should know that by now. If you have kids in school/daycare and work, you should always have a backup for cases like this.”
Posted By: jen On: 8/31/2012
Title: actually claude...
Actually Claude, my kids day care still pays their staff when they are closed. I think that's why they are so quick to close. They are getting a lot of pressure from staff because it's a good excuse for a paid day off.
Posted By: claude On: 8/30/2012
Title: Day care closures
Pretty sweet deal for the day cares. They close, don't pay their staff, and still sharge the parents the same as if they were open! Why do day cares close when the schools close? Now, working parents of pre-school age children have to miss work and not get paid.
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