FRAZIER: Wanted: A crystal ball for the school district

Published 4:00 am Saturday, April 9, 2022

I am looking for a crystal ball, and if I find one, I am going to give it to the Vicksburg Warren School District.

It is hard to believe, but severe weather may be headed our way for the fourth consecutive week. I saw this distressing news while I was watching the “Today Show” on Friday. Al Roker had his weather map up and it indicated storms may make it to our area, Wednesday.

I assume this means Mississippi will have yet another alert day, and I really feel for our local schools, especially the VWSD.

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While the private schools must also decide how to proceed with inclement weather, for a school district that has thousands of students, the decision can be a bit more complicated.

Take, for instance, last week’s cancelation. According to the National Weather Service and Warren County Emergency Management Director, John Elfer, it was predicted the bad weather would roll into Warren County anywhere between 2 and 9 a.m. on Tuesday. With the storm, there were risks of 80 mph winds and isolated tornadoes.

The district made the decision to cancel school, and the private schools opted for a delayed start. That’s all good and fine for students and teachers in these private schools, who make their way in via car, truck or SUV.

But for the VWSD bus drivers, whose routes cover the outer corners of the county, the time frame from traveling to and from a school with a delayed start could be just that — time enough only to travel to and from school.

This decision to cancel school was made for the safety of the children and teachers and it was made in time for parents who work to find childcare.

Good call, in my opinion.

But when bad weather didn’t materialize, folks took to Facebook dogging the school district for their decision.

How ironic, when just two weeks prior, many of these same armchair quarterbacks were complaining about the school sending children home.

This just goes to show, that there are some people who either complain no matter what or are just straight-up know-it-alls. Maybe they should oversee the weather calls and make decisions that would affect thousands of children and teachers in Vicksburg.

I would hope having the responsibility of that magnitude could open their eyes to how challenging it is to make difficult decisions — or at the very least, it should shut their mouths when it comes to popping off on Facebook.

Chances are it won’t, so if I can’t find a crystal ball, does anyone know how to read tea leaves?

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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