The calendar may say that it’s spring, but for one New Mexico parent, the ongoing wintry weather makes driving her child to school worrisome.
According to KOB 4, Krystal Yazzie is a parent of a student attending the Gallup School District who believes it’s a treacherous task taking her child to school when the weather turns bad because she lives in a rural area.
“Having to look outside and see the weather and see inches of snow, and see fog, it was concerning for me,” Yazzie told the news station.
She added that dirt roads are not ideal to drive on in wintry conditions.
“We don’t get our roads paved, we come from dirt roads that do get muddy, we don’t have salt trucks that are able to maintain our roads," she said.
She also said the wintry weather creates hazardous driving conditions.
“'Should I get on this icy dangerous road to take my child to school or should I keep them safe?’ Like, parents shouldn’t have to think (about) that predicament,” Yazzie said, adding that a solution could be remote learning when road conditions are unsafe.
Yazzie suggested virtual days to accommodate the weather, children, parents and staff.
“The district did provide computers, tablets, Wi-Fi to utilize virtual days when weather permits. I’m not saying no school,” Yazzie said.
Buses start picking students at roughly 5 a.m. and a decision to proceed with or cancel school must be made before buses start their route, according to Gallup McKinley County School Superintendent Mike Hyatt. Schools are mindful of students who are late on days when the weather isn’t ideal because it impacts the county differently depending on where the storm hits, he added.