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Letters: A mishandled school closing

IJUST PICKED up my daughter up across from the Masterman School. Apparently, the clueless superintendent decided - because to her 94 degrees is a heat wave - that schools should close at 1:30. My daughter's school had an announcement at 1, at which point her teacher would not allow her to use her phone to call me, so I didn't get a message until much later that she needed to get home.

IJUST PICKED up my daughter up across from the Masterman School.

Apparently, the clueless superintendent decided - because to her 94 degrees is a heat wave - that schools should close at 1:30. My daughter's school had an announcement at 1, at which point her teacher would not allow her to use her phone to call me, so I didn't get a message until much later that she needed to get home.

Yes, it was filthy hot and humid, but since when was that reason to close schools? Let's see, what do normal children do when told that school is done for the day? They go outside. Even if there is no air-conditioning in the school, at least it's not in the sun. Many schools can open windows, put a fan on and are certainly providing shade to the kids.

My complaint: There was no robo-call to our house, to my or my husband's phone, or to either of our email addresses.

Given that this is pretty much normal summer weather for Philadelphia, how were we to come up with the idea to "look on the District's website" in the middle of a work-day? Were there third-graders wandering around the city because school was out?

And what about the - as important, I would say, as a "heat wave" - NOAA warnings about severe thunderstorms and tornadoes: Whose idea was it to send kids out from the solid school buildings given that alert?

Arlene Ackerman is apparently lacking in common sense.

Jane Kauer

Philadelphia

nolead begins

Hire the vets

The unemployement rate of the veterans getting out now is in double figures.

They get their 10 points for employment, but why not also have a special job fair for soldiers getting out now?

I agree with the recent op-ed - they should get first preference in hiring for many positions.

George J. Walton, Upper Darby