On Friday, the Walpole Public Schools experienced a “snow day.” It was called at about midday on Thursday by School Superintendent Lincoln Lynch who felt more than 24 hours before the fact that it was necessary to keep students from having to battle their way home from school in a snowstorm. It was a remarkably early decision for a snow day, and one that we have never seen before from any recent school superintendent in Walpole.

Regrettably, for Superintendent Lynch, the snow did not even start falling on Friday until about 2:00, which left ample time for not only almost a full day of school, but certainly an early release, as so many other local school districts had called for. An early release would have allowed Walpole to not have to go to school one extra day in June, and yet it also would have allowed students to get home well before the snow started. Having an early release on Friday would have been a brilliant decision, but yet the Superintendent made a premature decision 24 hours ahead of time.

When the Pilgrims arrived in the New World in 1620, they survived a long, cold winter with no heat and little food. They worked together to survive, and they adjusted to the cold without complaint.  Today, they would be taken aback by the behaviors of their descendants, us New Englanders, during the winter. In fact, they would probably be stunned to find out that with only one foot of snow after 2:00, an entire day of school had been canceled totally.

On Sunday, more snow fell on Walpole, and many called for no school on Monday. A number of school districts, mostly in western and central Massachusetts, but also some near and in Boston, canceled school or called for late starts. Many in Walpole, too, felt that one or both of these options was necessary, but the Superintendent decided not to bow to these requests. Perhaps he had learned his lesson from Friday, or he had simply decided to take a risk and have school even though there were several inches of snow and ice on the ground.

Later this winter, there will undoubtedly be many other major storms before which meteorologists for local television stations will stir up as much anxiety about the storms as possible. One can only hope that when it comes time to call or not to call a snow day, Superintendent Lynch will make the right decision.