Some Ann Arbor parents unhappy with early phone call announcing school closures
Some Ann Arbor parents were roused out of bed with a start this morning when a phone call came just after 5 a.m. from Ann Arbor Public Schools announcing school was canceled.
Sally Pinnell, who has a daughter in fourth grade at Burns Park Elementary School, is from the United Kingdom and said she immediately thought the call was a family member with an emergency.
“If the phone ever rings that early, it’s because of an emergency,” she said. “I woke up with a panic, my heart was racing, I charged across the room to be told the school is closed.”
The call came from the SchoolMessenger system used by Ann Arbor schools to alert families about emergencies, student tardiness and absences, and school closings. Information on the district’s website states that a phone call will be sent no earlier than 6 a.m.
District spokeswoman Liz Margolis took responsibility for the early call. She said she was attempting to notify staff and students at the same time to avoid duplicate calls for families employed by AAPS with students in the district.
“Clearly that was an error,” she said. “I might have ticked off some parents, and I’ve responded and apologized to everyone who has contacted me.”
It was just the second time the SchoolMessenger system had been used for a snow day, with the first coming in January. Margolis said the call that night came in at about 10 p.m. when district officials made the decision to cancel school the next day — the first time in her eight years in the district the decision was made the night before.
Margolis said she sent out about 18,800 notifications this morning, and has heard from about 10 parents who were upset with the early call.
The phone call woke Pinnell, her daughter and her husband, who was preparing to make a transatlantic flight today.
“Everyone woke, the family all wakes up and you’ve lost your sleep,” she said. “My husband needed his sleep, and he was totally (unhappy) that he didn’t get a good night’s sleep before his flight. There must be another way of doing it.”
Pinnell said she would prefer to go online or watch television news broadcasts to find school closings instead of an early morning call. She said she was considering opting out of the system, which is done by e-mailing webmaster@aaps.k12.mi.us.
Children take advantage of the perfect sledding weather at Vets Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
The SchoolMessenger system sends both e-mails and phone calls when school is closed due to weather or other reasons. Schools are also able to use the system to contact parents about other events, such as the lockdowns that took place at some schools earlier this year as a result of bank robberies.
By opting out of the system, parents will not receive any calls.
Margolis suggested alternatives to opting out completely, like signing up for just the e-mail alerts or transferring the phone number in the system to a mobile phone, which can be put on silent at night.
She said calls would continue to be early in the morning to serve families with students in high school, but would come no earlier than 6 a.m. She said dividing the calls by school level would cause problems for families with children at different levels.
“I’ve done my best to apologize to those parents and I’ve offered them solutions,” she said.
Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.
Comments
eyeloveypsi
Thu, Dec 16, 2010 : 8:28 a.m.
kjmclark - was it worth all the time you put in to your comment? just wonderin'...
eyeloveypsi
Thu, Dec 16, 2010 : 8:22 a.m.
104 (now 105) pieces of evidence that many of us really need more to do.
MichMash
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 11:10 p.m.
Kjmclark...I am thankful I'm not a cantankerous, miserable, malcontent.
Heardoc
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 7:40 p.m.
Big News!
omgseriously
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 12:51 p.m.
It's 9 pm. I know there's a better-than-even chance that school will be called off tomorrow (other school districts have already called it a snow day, the weather/cold is expected to worsen, etc.). I also know that my school system almost never makes a decision about snow days the night before, so I'd better plan ahead. I guess I could bring my kids to work with me, work from home, find a babysitter, split the day with another family (so we can each work half a day) or take a personal day. I make a backup plan and a backup backup plan. I yawn while I make lunches, set out clothes, etc. I set my alarm clock for 6:30 a.m. (as usual). I set my phone on vibrate mode, because I don't want my sleep to be disturbed unnecessarily by any late night booty calls, text messages or Farmville alerts. I sleep blissfully until my alarm at 6:30, wake up, check my messages (hey, snow day!), and put my backup plan into action. //// ALTERNATE ENDING //// Ann Arbor doesn't declare a snow day despite the rest of the universe declaring one. I sleep blissfully until 6:30, wake up, check my messages (none), brave those icy roads to drive my kids to school and go to work.
ViSHa
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 11:14 a.m.
i could be wrong, but i think most people who would have rather NOT gotten the 5am call would have checked the TV, radio, or internet before heading out on the road. I suppose there is that one person who lives like the unabomber with none of the above but..... On a positive note, hurray, over 100 comments on something so silly--should we try to break the "no water bottles in the stadium" record? LOL
Bobbi Jo
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 11:01 a.m.
I wonder what would have made a parent more angry.. Getting a wake up call, or driving on those dangerous roads and showing up to a closed school.. My son goes to a private school. We received a phone call at 10:30pm the night before (ringer is low at night so it doesn't wake us) and also an email. I would have been much happier to wake at 5 then to not know until showing up at school.
Listen
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 10:23 a.m.
Something else to be thankful for...that none of us are the one(s) who went on record to be quoted as being so grossly inconvenienced by a school-closing phone call. Nope, would never want to be so publicly petty. Of 18,800 people notified, only 10 calls to complain. So 95.95% of folks like it but the story is about the 0.05% who don't. Perhaps the article should have been titled something like "Vast majority of A2 parents are pleased with the new automated school alert messaging system".....tis the season for the glass to be half full, after all.
jernalyzt
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 8:50 a.m.
97 comments to a story about being woken up early? Comments removed because of attacks and name calling? Time is precious, people!
KJMClark
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 8:25 a.m.
So Kdadnick thinks I should be thankful for 1980s technology waking me up at 5am to tell me something the radio will tell me anyway when it wakes me up? And lots of you agree? So I tried to turn off the inane non-service, and here's what I found. To turn off the notifications, you're supposed to go into the "Parent Portal" in Powerschool. You only get the Parent Portal notification by mail, and only once. The userid and password are complete gibberish, so good luck remembering them. If you lose the piece of paper, you get to deal with your middle-schooler's surly office staff, who claims she can't do anything, though the district's web site says she's the one to call, and transfers you to another number just to get rid of you. I should be thankful for this? If you happen to have the piece of paper for your other student, you can get into Powerschool, only to discover that in order to remove yourself from the autodialer, you have to wipe out your contact information. That's right, to remove your phone number from the autodialer, you have to remove your phone number from their contact information. So if they really need to contact you, they won't know how. I'm supposed to be thankful for this? Really, I have lots to be thankful for, but this system isn't one of them. And I'm thankful that I don't have to take other people's advice for what to be thankful for.
breadman
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:05 p.m.
Gee when I went too AA public school. We did not have a chain call from the school system. You had to get out of a warm bed run to the old boob tube, or listen to WAAM radio station. I love the new, it just depends on where your name offs on the list. Reminder the letter A comes so get up and face the call, and give me a few more moments to rest. Them the school system will be done by 6:30a.m.
loves_fall
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 4:12 p.m.
Wow. Hate to break it to everyone, but one hour isn't really all that much to gripe about. 5 am instead of 6 am, cry me a river. I agree with the people who say txt or email notifications should be offered if feasible. Or even partner with Nixle.com or something like the police departments do and let users get whatever notification they want to get.
Tom Teague
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 2:26 p.m.
Let's see if I have this right: We have commenters who complained; commenters who complained about the complainers; and commenters who complained about the commenters who complained about the complainers. I'd start a fourth level, but I'm afraid I'd get confused and end up supporting something by accident. So, I'll leave it with thanks for those folks who drove school buses around town in the pre-pre-dawn hours to determine whether the roads were safe. And thank goodness no one has complained that they were awakened by the sound of school bus tires spinning on ice at 3 a.m.
eldegee
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 2:01 p.m.
If the school had called at 10 or 11 pm the night before, people would complain about that. Even if they called earlier, say 9pm, someone would gripe that they were sleeping. No matter what you do, people will complain, because that's what they do. And they're raising a generation of whiners.
mkm17
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 1:28 p.m.
CincoDeMayo, thank you so much for your comment! It is refreshing to read an understanding, positive comment that shows an appreciation for the work that goes into making the tough decision to close school in the first place. I would love to read an article that describes just that: how the decisions are made to declare a snow day and how best to impart that information to families.
julieswhimsies
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 1:23 p.m.
Are you kidding me?! Getting an early phone call to announce school closing is a SERVICE! When my kids were in school, we had to get up early, and turn on the radio and wait for a possible announcement...and people are complaining about these calls?! Whine. Whine. Whine.
mkm17
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 1:14 p.m.
VISHa makes a good point. As annoying as it was to read about one parent's assumption that an early morning phone call was an emergency, I have to admit that we readers complaining about "that" seems just as petty.
CincoDeMayo
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 1:12 p.m.
I love that: my "little snowflake"!!! Now I have a new name to call my kids. I also loooovvve the phone system. What a luxury. It even motivated me get to work early, since I also couldn't get back to sleep. I had no idea how many people were out in the cold and snow at 3 and 4 AM driving the roads and making decisions on the road conditions for all of us so that we had the information we needed to plan our days - thanks.
aamom
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 12:48 p.m.
@youwhine - My child was also at school for 3 lockdowns so far this year. I don't know what happened for JenM but I received an email followed by a phone call about 2 minutes later. As far as I know, no one rushed in to pick up their "little snowflakes". We were simply informed that is was under control. No need to use sarcastic terms for people's children. I'm sure if your point is valid, it will come across without that kind of nonsense. As for complaining, how would great new technologies ever be invented if not for complaining? I'm sure the phone messenger system itself was created by someone who thought it was a pain to not have timely information. Was he a complainer? Perhaps, but it spurred him to make something that is helpful to all. Maybe these complaints will lead to an improved system that allows for more customization by users. That would be another bonus for all!
ViSHa
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 12:24 p.m.
i can't get over all the comments telling people to get over themselves! (up to 87!) yes, it stunk getting a 5am phone call, but i'll live (personally i don't even remember "opting in" to these but i guess i must have in the mounds of paperwork at the beginning of the school year). AA.com prints a story about it and people have an outlet to vent their irritation, no harm, no foul and definitely no need to belittle anyone who's view is different than yours! talk about hypocritical.
Donna
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 11:39 a.m.
I was sleeply and not very productive at work yesterday due to not getting back to sleep after the 5am call. I hope the calls will be made after 6am next time.
pammfrey
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 11:13 a.m.
Kudos for you, kdadnick!!!! Your kids could be in the DPS....
Sallyxyz
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 11:02 a.m.
The WEMU website had the AAPS closing listed at 4:30 a.m. on Monday. You don't need to bother with getting early phone calls and emails. Just go to the WEMU website for the most accurate and up-to-date information on school closings.
YouWhine
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 11 a.m.
@JenM: Perhaps the reason that you were not notified of a school lockdown is because that would cause more problems than good. What are you going to do if your kid is on lockdown? They are safe and in achool and still learning. If the district sends out a mass call to announce that schools are locked down, then every parent will drop what they are doing and rush to the school trying to pick their little snowflake up because they think that is best. This then puts unneeded stress on the staff trying to carry out business at the school, puts a lot more people in danger, and interferes withwhatever emergency is going on near the school. Getting a call that schools are locked down would be about as useful as getting a call that the cafeteria ran out of fuit cocktail. There is nothing you could do about the situation, so there is no need for you to be instantly notified.
Stephen Landes
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 10:54 a.m.
Having a system for notifying parents of school closings is great. I might not appreciate a call quite so early, but in a family where both parents work they might need as much notice as possible to make alternate arrangements for their children. Does the AAPS system allow parents to select their method of notification? I bet there is a way to allow parents to specify either phone call or email and even the time of delivery at a very low cost. Whatever fine tuning AAPS does to their system they deserve applause for having what they have now.
mkm17
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 10:30 a.m.
Good point, Brad. If AAPS's policy is to make calls not before 6 AM, then a 5:30 AM phone call would seem to be out of place. However, the roads were terrible on Sunday and Sunday night. It would have been reasonable for a family to wonder if there would be school on Monday. It would have been reasonable to assume there would be a message saying school had been called off. We have received the dreaded middle-of-the-night phone call. Still, it was not reasonable to assume the phone call was because of a family crisis., and I can't believe there was not a family out there
Sandy
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 10:24 a.m.
I like the phone call. If you don't like waking up the household, then turn off the ringer in the sleeping areas. One can usually still hear the main phone ring - especially if a call that early "gets your heart racing." Or - give your cell phone number to the schools for alerts. This is what I did. My cell was off because I was at home sleeping. I just need to turn it on in the morning and viola! - a message from the school. Of course, if the schools change how they are going to make these calls - there will be those who will complain because they didn't get an early call. There will always be something to complain about and is an early phone call really something to waste your energy on?
HaeJee
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 10:23 a.m.
Getting that call at 5am was the best call the kid could have asked for! Confirmation of lots of snow and no school on top of it. Personally, I prefer a call at 5am or the night before. Earlier the better. After we got the call, we just yelled up the stairs that school was cancelled and they could sleep in. They loved it and we could get a few extra zzz's ourselves. As other posters have said, you cant please everyone and everyone has an opinion. AAPS, dont sweat the small things! Our kids were hoping that they would get today off. haha
Some Guy in 734
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 10:09 a.m.
Margolis suggested [...] transferring the phone number in the system to a mobile phone, which can be put on silent at night. Huh. Y'all still using land lines in Ann Arbor?
Brad
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 10:04 a.m.
" How would a parent *not* assume the phone call was because of inclement weather?" This maybe? "Information on the districts website states that a phone call will be sent no earlier than 6 a.m." Some of you have obviously never had one of those really bad "middle of the night" phone calls.
jns131
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 9:45 a.m.
Get over it Ann Arbor. I do appreciate the notification so I can turn off the alarm and go back to bed. Nuff said lets bury this and move on.
A27777
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 9:33 a.m.
1. A2.com this is not town news worthy, perhaps the students could have tackled this one in the pioneer paper. 2. Get over yourselves people, u complain about getting a call bc it's too early, your lucky u get a courtesy call, when I was a kid we had to watch the news or listen to the radio to find out, and if it didn't come so early there would be as many parents on here whining about that. 3. I also got an early morning call from monroe public schools about the closing, talk about irritating,my kids don't go to Monroe, I don't have any kids! Maybe annarbor.com wants to do a feature story on my plight, and how I cope with it!
dexterreader
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 9:26 a.m.
Really people?? Seriously?? The weather is crappy, with the potential of calling off school. I think one could surmise that a call at 5:00 a.m. under those circumstances would more than likely be a notice of cancellation of school. Sometimes I can't believe how much stuff people can find to whine about. I'd much rather know at 5:00 a.m., or even 2 or 3 a.m., in the warmth and comfort of my own home... actually, I think it's a nice service the district invested in and I don't think AA Schools, or any other district for that matter, owes anyone an apology. Get real people. Find something worthwhile to complain about.
rob
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 9:12 a.m.
HAHA... ONLY in ANN ARBOR would parents complain about something that could save them time. OH and only would they complain about someones accident. Glad you wasted text to report this...
Salinemary
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 9:03 a.m.
This is not newsworthy.
mlivesaline
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:54 a.m.
kdadnick, awesome post. Yes folks lets put this into perspective. Can you hug your child today? Are they in the hospital? Do they have a warm and safe place to live? Do they have food on the table and a loving family? Just look at the headlines every day and see what many other awful things families must deal with. Shame on all of those who complained about the early phone call. Shame.
Gaboo
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:50 a.m.
I would much rather have an early phone call than have to read through all of Wayne and Oakland county school closings before I got to the Ann Arbor schools.
earthchick
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:41 a.m.
It is the height of irony to read comments *complaining* about people complaining. The pettiness and mean-spiritedness in some of these comments is appalling (yet typical of the AnnArbor.com comments).
a2roots
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:39 a.m.
You have got to be kidding. Too bad, get over it. Had the call gone out later there certainly would have been more than 10 people complaining.
jjc155
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:35 a.m.
Guarentee that if the call came at 700 or 800 when parents where getting ready to walk out the door to work they would be complaining about that too, LOL. At least with the call coming at 500am you have some time to scamble to get day care set up or call into work. LOL if this is the worst thing to complain about in your lives I feel terrible for you, LOL
ummsw
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:28 a.m.
kdadnick...Could not have said it better. Thank you
ThaKillaBee
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:27 a.m.
Oh, boo-hoo. Come on!! So you can't fall back asleep and get that last remaining 30 minutes of beauty sleep--who cares? Get over yourselves. A school closing qualifies as an "emergency."
kdadnick
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:15 a.m.
Things to be thankful for: Your children have good schools to attend. Your school district is up-to-date technologically. Your school district can afford such technology. You can afford a phone. You've got a home and warm bed from which to be disturbed. Your schools are supervised by people with the common sense to call school off when weather is a risk to children traveling. You don't have to spend your time searching television stations or internet sites because you know the school will contact you. You know the system WORKS so in the event of an unexpected emergency you will be contacted. And perhaps most importantly, you've been given an unexpected day to enjoy your children's company. Now with all that (and probably a lot more) to be thankful for why focus on the negative? Today's news is highlighted by a woman caught in a fire who couldn't be rescued in time to save her life. I'm guessing her family would embrace the chance for her to be awakened by a 5:00am phone call today. If you tend to complain about trivial things...put your life in perspective.
JenM
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:13 a.m.
Just to note, I received no phone calls when my kids schools were on lockdown twice this fall. Just emails. Then I receive a phone call for a snow day, no email. Which sounds like more of an emergency, an armed robber running around near the school, or snow?
limmy
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 8:03 a.m.
I didn't mind the robo call, but we were befuddled this morning to find that the message on the school closing number was from yesterday. It had not been updated to let us know whether there was school today or not. That was confusing.
KJMClark
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 7:23 a.m.
There's a significant problem with the article. It says, "The SchoolMessenger system sends both e-mails and phone calls when school is closed due to weather or other reasons." Actually, it only sends the phone call. The email doesn't say the schools are closed, it just says the schools sent out a phone message. "Ann Arbor Public Schools sent an important automated phone notification using their SchoolMessenger system. You are receiving this message because your email address was included to receive the notification. "If you missed the call, or if your phone number was not included on the notification list, you can still listen to the message. Simply follow the message link below to play the message in your web browser." That's not very useful. I was miffed about the 5am phone call, because my sister has a medical condition that I might get a 5am call about. I would agree that the District should have called the snow day the night before based on the forecast. I don't feel like I can turn off my notifications because the emails are completely useless, and I have two kids in the district. And for us, 6am is no better than 5am. What I'd really like is the option to turn off 'school closed due to weather' phone calls and keep the rest. WUOM and WEMU are both great for checking school closings.
Steve Pepple
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 7:20 a.m.
Comments attacking a source in the story have been removed.
JGS
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 6:51 a.m.
Typical
KeepingItReal
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 5:39 a.m.
Is this all Sally has to complain about?
ypsigirl
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 4:35 a.m.
Tere is no such thing as a perfect system. The parent who must arrange daycare is generally happy about the early call, the teenagers are usually happy also. Pepole who want to sleepin-take your phone off the hook or turn it off. You are never going to please everyone. I agree there should be an opt out for calls you really don't care about. My son is in Ypsilanti Schools and I like the notification phone calls. I don't have to get p early and watch the news and they remind me of other important things going on at his school that I would otherwise forget. If this is the worst thing to happen to the 10 people who called and complained about the early calls I envy you. Roll over, go back to sleep and GET A LIFE!!!!!
The Black Stallion3
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 4:33 a.m.
With all the problems in this world the people in Ann Arbor want to complain about a phone call that is meant to help them. Grow up people and stop acting like your children.
racerx
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 4:10 a.m.
@reason-agree completely. Thankfully I work midnights so I was wide awake when I got the email message. Good grief people, get a better life.
ARAAT
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 3:31 a.m.
A2.com, why do u keep deleting my comments?? Ive said nothing worse than what anyone else has said!! Actually ive said nothing bad at all.........................................................................
ARAAT
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 3:14 a.m.
Since my last comment was removed for no reason I will comment again!! My son goes to eca at eastern and I got a call at 5:30. I did not hear my phone, but if I would have I would have told him and both would have went right back to bed! People find the dumbest things to complain about! Who cant go back to sleep after a 10 second phone call?? Maybe the woman was so angry at getting this early call that she woke her own family up!! smh!
ARAAT
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 3:04 a.m.
My son goes to eca at eastern and i got a call at 5:30. I didnt hear my phone but if I would have I would have told him and both would have went right back to bed. We figured there was no school anyway. The lady who complained about her husband not getting sleep, she seems like the type who started yelling about the call and woke her own family up. For real people, it's not that serious! Who cant go back to sleep after waking up for a 10 second phone call?? smh Find something else to complain about!!
Stephanie
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 1:18 a.m.
Seriously? I would think parents would want to know not to start their usual morning routine if the kids aren't going to school. I don't get it... chill out, people. Turn off your ringers if it's that big a deal. And certainly don't complain about a household of "lost sleep" because the phone rang. Honestly. Get over it.
momwith3
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 12:33 a.m.
"How Does The Ann Arbor Public Schools Make a "Snow Day" Decision? Brad Mellor, Director of Transportation Throughout the evening weather conditions are monitored via Internet, TV, radio, and an informal network of other transportation directors throughout the area. If warranted a call is made to the district's snow routes team to go into action. By 3 AM, a team of transportation supervisors and senior drivers meet with the director of transportation at the transportation terminal. Each of these 4 individuals is a highly experienced driver, with many years behind the wheel of a school bus. By 3:15 A.M., they're on the road in 4 different buses. Over the next hour or so, the buses will follow 4 predetermined routes to the 4 corners of the district. The drivers radio back comments from locations along the route, which are recorded in the dispatch center. At the same time, the director of transportation will be fielding more cell calls from the other districts. (Other local districts seems to want to know what Ann Arbor is going to do before they make their decision!) Our team will drive well-lit city avenues, the interstate highway, and some remote gravel roads. They'll stop and walk the sidewalks at schools, and check the conditions in subdivisions and neighborhoods. By 4:00 A.M. the drivers will report back to the transportation terminal. Each driver will be polled and record their perceptions. The only question is "Can we safely open school, and get them back home?" One last tour of the cell phone circuit to other schools, and then it's time to wake up the Superintendent. The Superintendent will be presented with a recommendation based on all input and evidence. After reviewing all the information the Superintendent makes the final decision. This is the process used to determine the viability of the area roads to deliver AAPS students safely to and from school." Frpm Ann Arbor Schools web site I would have hoped the decision would have been made closer to 4:15 am. The policy on the school district web site indicates that there should have been enough information by this time. I prefer to check online or watch the tv for closings, just opt out of phone call if you do not like it.
momwith3
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 12:32 a.m.
"How Does The Ann Arbor Public Schools Make a "Snow Day" Decision? Brad Mellor, Director of Transportation Throughout the evening weather conditions are monitored via Internet, TV, radio, and an informal network of other transportation directors throughout the area. If warranted a call is made to the district's snow routes team to go into action. By 3 AM, a team of transportation supervisors and senior drivers meet with the director of transportation at the transportation terminal. Each of these 4 individuals is a highly experienced driver, with many years behind the wheel of a school bus. By 3:15 A.M., they're on the road in 4 different buses. Over the next hour or so, the buses will follow 4 predetermined routes to the 4 corners of the district. The drivers radio back comments from locations along the route, which are recorded in the dispatch center. At the same time, the director of transportation will be fielding more cell calls from the other districts. (Other local districts seems to want to know what Ann Arbor is going to do before they make their decision!) Our team will drive well-lit city avenues, the interstate highway, and some remote gravel roads. They'll stop and walk the sidewalks at schools, and check the conditions in subdivisions and neighborhoods. By 4:00 A.M. the drivers will report back to the transportation terminal. Each driver will be polled and record their perceptions. The only question is "Can we safely open school, and get them back home?" One last tour of the cell phone circuit to other schools, and then it's time to wake up the Superintendent. The Superintendent will be presented with a recommendation based on all input and evidence. After reviewing all the information the Superintendent makes the final decision. This is the process used to determine the viability of the area roads to deliver AAPS students safely to and from school." Frpm Ann Arbor Schools web site I would have hoped the decision would have been made closer to 4:15 am. The policy on the school district web site indicates that there should have been enough information by this time. I prefer to check online or watch the tv for closings, just opt out of phone call if you do not like it.
RTFM
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 11:07 p.m.
Yes Ann Arbor, these modern things called phones are annoying. Please go out and buy a phone with ringer volume control. Most phones made prior to say 1981 have ringer volume control.
delirium454
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:49 p.m.
Seriously, Kyle... is there no better story to write about.
delirium454
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:48 p.m.
Cry me a river.
jcj
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:45 p.m.
I have not had kids in school for almost 20 years. So I will not be getting a call at 5,6 or 7am. But as someone that has gotten that call early in the morning to be informed of a death in the family it does make your heart stop. If you have not gotten one of those calls or if your heart does not stop when the phone rings in the middle of the night consider yourself lucky. I personally think 6am would be a reasonable hour to call. But it will not affect me one way or the other.
a2citizen
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:25 p.m.
@say it plain: See ya next time!!!
MorningGirl
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:21 p.m.
Wow. Slow news day?? :D
say it plain
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 9:53 p.m.
hey annarbor.com, this is so discouraging to see so many people writing in to say 'get over it!'... *please* don't run stories that are clearly merely fodder for this kind of community outpouring, eh?! Do you get better traffic for your ads when you do this? What is the rationale? I for one will just do what I should have realized long ago is the right thing...stop. visiting. this. site. cheers all!
mich9fan3
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 9:53 p.m.
I can't wait for the complaint calls after the next school closure... "6AM? That's way too late! I had already gotten up to get my children ready for school! What a waste of time!" This is a non-issue and Liz Margolis deserves a big thank-you for dealing with these people.
beeswing
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 9:53 p.m.
I believe in civility, which is a simple matter of being thoughtful and courteous. To my mind there are civil and uncivil times to mow one's lawn, release barking dogs within close proximity of neighbor's house and to make phone calls. 5 a.m. is not a civil time to make a non-emergency call. I think the apology was appropriate--and civil!
Anna Fuqua-Smith
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 9:32 p.m.
Oh wow, a complaint like this is ridiculous and is not news-worthy. 10 people were upset? What about the folks who wake up in the morning, send their kids to the bus and then go on about getting ready for their day and leave shortly after they sent the kids off? Only for the child to come back with no parents at home because it wasn't in the daily routine for the parent to turn the TV on or the radio on to realize schools were closed. I don't care if the call came at 3 am or 5 am, it was considerate and is a great system to contact everyone in every way possible. For the people who were upset about it, get over it!
baitm
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 8:52 p.m.
thanks...more proof to my theory that parents are the reason for the increasing number of spoiled brats in the world. if the district waited to call the day then other parents would complain and bitch. pathetic world we live in. the sad part is that anyone(district employess) uses their work time to kiss these peoples' butts by saying sorry. i have a solution...no calls and let eveyone meet at school which is closed!
say it plain
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 8:51 p.m.
This sort of phone call just understandably hits a nerve for some people. It's not so much the lost sleep--and I think the person highlighted in the story makes that clear--it's the ohmygod feeling that this middle-of-the-night phonecall is a family emergency. For anyone who has received the news of a loved one's death in the middle of the night, or of a loved one's sudden emergency, the piercing ring of the phone at such an hour is dreadful. literally. I realize compassion isn't high on the list of goals for most people who write comments online, but you know, it 'tis the season?! Sorry that Ms. Margolis had to deal with negative fallout, but it *is* an emotionally charged issue, a phone call at that hour. I happened to be unable to sleep last night and randomly waking up at almost 5am, decided to check the AAPS website for news about school. I didn't see any updates, and was heading back to bed, when I passed the telephone and it rang! I was sooo glad I caught it before it woke my spouse, who *has* experienced too many of those late-night phone calls and the literal racing heart that accompanies them after an instance or two.
Peter Nelson
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 8:38 p.m.
Let's try that comment again... Why must the first comment on nearly *every* article here be negative? Why waste the time commenting? If you don't like the article, why spend the time commenting on it? There are 100's of articles here to comment on - just skip the ones you don't like. We got woken up at 5am by the phone call, too, and didn't like it. And now I'm glad to read that the school district is addressing the issue by delaying phone calls to 6am. Perfect! Thanks for informing us, AnnArbor.com.
a2citizen
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 8:29 p.m.
Liz, Thanks for admitting you screwed up royally and as a result the lives of many Ann Arborites have been devastated. Their emotional well beings are now in ruins and they will probably bear the psychological scars for the rest of their lives. The truly unfortunate victims here, the children, will probably grow to be homeless, drug addicted serial killers because of this severe lapse of competenance. However, next snow day could I have a 6:35 wakeup call please?
Davidian
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 8:28 p.m.
Of all the things to complain about--with what's going on locally, nationally, and worldwide--my god.
Kafkaland
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:57 p.m.
I hate to say this, but waking up at 5am before a transatlantic flight is excellent preparation for the time shift. Believe it or not, it's 11am in Central Europe then, so it's better get used to it before you leave. And for those who didn't have to catch a flight to Europe, I don't think getting up an hour early is a major disruption of anyone's life - probably less than a the disruption that a snow day with the kids home brings on anyway.
Olive
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:57 p.m.
For Pete's sake.... People will always find something to complain about, won't they?
csst380
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:54 p.m.
Sounds like good ole whiney peoplw of Ann Arbor, always complaining if it aint noise, pollution, trees, its about losig sleep over a phone call. Heres an idea, turn your phone ringer lower at night so you can sleep. Get a life folks, A2 gotta spend your high tax dollars on something, obviously not taking care of snowy roads.
aareader
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:50 p.m.
Would a parent rather know for sure there is no school or perhaps not know and happen to drop their kid off and drive away...... only to realize later there is no school. The earlier information is known the better. Some folks are up very early. Is the school supposed to know when one gets up so their sleep is not disturbed??? ***** If this is what some parents are making complaints about then things must be going pretty good overall. ***** My 2 cents.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:33 p.m.
What could be worse is reading comments complaining about comments complaining about phone calls. Of course, I have the option of not reading the comments or the story.
JustJ
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:27 p.m.
I wasn't bothered by the phone call. Surely there are more pressing things going on in this world to be upset about. I didn't have to get up, turn on the tv and put my glasses on to see if my son's school was closed. Thanks Liz!!!!
Susan Montgomery
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:23 p.m.
Ms. Margolis, I have tremendous respect for the role you have played over the years as District spokesperson. You made the decision you felt was best for the community, and your good intentions are appreciated. Thank you. Myself, I had a feeling when the phone rang at 5 that it would be about the snow day, but then I'd already been up at 4:30 checking the website, so I appreciated getting the phone call early so I could stop checking and get back to bed :)
Monica
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:14 p.m.
I honestly whooped with joy when I received this call, before promptly returning to bed to dream about happy lovely things to do during this day off. I don't know why people are so ticked about this. You lose approximately two minutes of sleep.
Beth
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:11 p.m.
I love getting the phone call rather than having to watch the news or look online, and I appreciate getting it before we start our morning routine. Thanks, AAPS!
Ann English
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 7:01 p.m.
I had expected the substance of this article to be parents unhappy about their kids staying home from school today, not at all about getting a phone call at 5 in the morning. My own general manager was happy that his son got a day off from his high school today. There is a line from "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" that goes, "And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again."
Party Animal
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:58 p.m.
This article is ridiculous on so many levels but I really just can't understand why a good night sleep is so essential for 8+ hour flight. Sleep then. When I was in school I used to have to get up at 5am to watch the local news waiting to find out if there was school. Get a life people.
lumberg48108
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:51 p.m.
I don't know what is worse - reading the comments from the parents complaining about a PHONE CALL and how their sleep was disrupted - or reading about it; complete with a headline. Great job parents! Set a great example for your kids - complain about anything and everything in the world!!!! Great job.com for giving them a forum to gripe about nothing!
CPS
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:50 p.m.
I *LOVE* the notification system--both the phone call and the email. I don't have to dial the hotline, look up the school closings on the internet, or hope to hear or see the list of schools on the radio or TV. The notification system is a great convenience to me, but if it really bothers others, then let them opt out. Thanks, AAPS, for having a system to put important information into the palm of our hands!
Gorc
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:48 p.m.
For those of you that were unhappy about a 5:00 am call....go stand in the complaint line behind the no Christmas tree or leaf pick up whiners..
sweet_life
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:42 p.m.
Just goes to show that people will complain no matter what you do. The phone rang at 5, I picked it up, listened to the message, knocked on my son's door, told him school was canceled, got a half-asleep "Yes!!", and went back to bed. End of story. Prior to the message service, I had to get up and check the web anytime there was the possibility of a snow day, whether school was actually open or closed. The current system is much better. Stop whining and move on.
Loopy
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:27 p.m.
Oh, puhlease. I can hear it now: "Why didn't they call earlier? I/my spouse/whoever has to leave for work by 6 a.m. Don't they know how hard it is to arrange for child care on such short notice?" Or: "Why did they call off school the night before?? It's fine out today. Now I had to call in to stay home with my child for nothing." Blah, blah, blah. Here's a thought: Opt out. Get email alerts if you have an internet connection or cell phone. If there were an actual emergency and parents who don't have internet access (yes, they exist) weren't able to get critical information, then somebody would raise h3ll about that, too.
Basic Bob
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:25 p.m.
High school kids have to get up not much after 5:00 if they want to get a shower and breakfast before they catch the bus. That IS the right time to call. Don't like it? Then unsubscribe to the message system and figure it out on your own.
ViSHa
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:22 p.m.
if it's all so petty, why bother commenting on the pettiness? bottom line is it should have been cancelled last night like all the other surrounding districts, especially if had been done in january. whatever.
the leprachaun
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:17 p.m.
Wow really It was 5:00 I get up at 5:30 to get my bus at 6:30. Also last night didn't Ann Arbor Schools announce on AnnArbor.com and on their website that a decision and phone calls were to be made a 5:00. Liz, you don't have to apologize.
SpartyInExile
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:16 p.m.
For many of us, we have received the "early morning call" and it has been bad news. With heart pounding we pick up the phone asking ourselves "Who now?". As for the decision to close. The road commission had four, only four trucks on the road last night. During the late evening temperatures had already dropped into single digits ensuring icy roads the following morning. Four districts in close proximity had already announced closing by 11:00 PM. Did AAPS expect conditions to improve dramatically by morning?
ummsw
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:14 p.m.
Liz, thanks for the call we appreciated the fact we didn't have to get out of bed and turn on the TV...
The Wind Cries
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:09 p.m.
I really cant believe anyone could possibly complain about this. First of all this is only going to happen a few days each school year. Next, its snowing, icy, and cold, there is a reasonable chance school might be cancelled, shut your cell phone off and unplug your landline if you cant fall back asleep. The rest of us are grateful we can plan our day. Its really not that hard people, if waking up an hour early a few times a school year is your greatest problem in life, you are indeed lucky people.
CommonThought
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:02 p.m.
Seriously... of all the things to complain about...
Kevin
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6 p.m.
One solution: text messaging. Works great with the U-M alerts.
jeff4179
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.
Wow. Some people can complain about ANYTHING. We got the call this morning, and I actually thought "cool, now we know school is closed and can plan accordingly." Little did I know that had I angrily called AnnArbor.com, I could have had an article about me in the newspaper. Pretty petty stuff to be upset about.
Jatra
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:52 p.m.
Of all the things to be upset about, this seems very trivial. Some people will never be happy no matter what. This was a minor annoyance at best. If this ruins your whole day then you don't have enough to worry about!
Jonny Spirit
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:48 p.m.
STOP I can't believe I am wasting my time reading about all you people. You all must have nothing better to do but to complain about something. Get a life. My 9 week old puppy woke me up at 4:45 this morning. Now I hate puppies. Now I'm gonna have a bad flight, I will now have to sit in my seat tired and not awake, man what a bad day. THANK YOU, to all schools for letting me know that early so I can plan the rest of my day. Keep up the great work Ann Arbor. To all you people who need your sleep you better turn of your phones tonight so I don't have to read about you poor babies tomorrow.
ViSHa
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:42 p.m.
It's just too bad that the SchoolMessenger system does not allow you to opt out of school closing phone calls, but receive the rest i.e. lockdown/absences/tardies, etc...
gostate
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:35 p.m.
"The phone call woke Pinnell, her daughter and her husband, who was preparing to make a transatlantic flight today. Everyone woke, the family all wakes up and youve lost your sleep, she said. My husband needed his sleep, and he was totally (unhappy) that he didnt get a good nights sleep before his flight. There must be another way of doing it. I guess he can just sleep on the flight now.... Seriously though, they'll never be able to appease every parent on this issue. If they had waited till a later time to call, parent's would've complained for some other reason.
Urban Sombrero
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:30 p.m.
I was unhappy about the early call, but not unhappy enough to call the AAPS about it. (I just whined here and on Facebook.) It was a mistake, I get it. Annoying? Yes. I couldn't get back to sleep afterward. But, I'll live. I still think it's a good idea to have this system set up, despite the hitch today. Personally, I just think AAPS was stupid for not canceling last night. Before I went to bed, every district around us was already announced as closed. Except Ann Arbor. It was obvious there would be no school today. Why did they wait so long to announce it?
Reason
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:19 p.m.
I have to say, of all the potential news issues in ann arbor, do you really have to go and write a whole separate story about how 10 parents were so unhappy they got a 5am phone call about school closing that they called to complain? Really? Really?