This is strictly an opinion piece.  I have a kid who attends school in Selah. Just like you, I need to find child care when school cancels, so I'd prefer school to be IN session.  But if sidewalks & roads aren't safe, cancel the school day! I'd rather have my kid safe at home or at day care than walking the snow-covered sidewalks with vehicles maneuvering around them on slick roads.

So the weather here in the Yakima Valley has SUCKED for the last couple of weeks. The cold temps, the snow, the ice. Even the city of Yakima declared a state of emergency. When the roads get slick, treacherous and/or dangerous, typically schools will either delay or cancel school for that day.

Since my alarm clock goes off at 2:24 a.m. every weekday for work, I'm one of the first who drives my truck right through the heart of the Selah School District every morning.  I've been pretty good at being able to predict what the "call" will be for school each day.  Most snowy days, it likely will be a two-hour delay. There was one day last week that some Selah parents thought should have been a snow day, but nope. Today, considering the roads, sidewalks AND the forecast of snow all day, I would have canceled school. Selah's official call was to stay on time. Yakima School District and pretty much every lower valley school did pull the plug on school today.  East Valley, Union Gap and West Valley posted delays.

So why are Selah School District officials being so aggressive on NOT canceling school?  It could be the backlash they get WHEN they cancel school. I know there are some parents who hit up social media to make fun of the fact that "back when I was in school, it took 20-plus inches of snow to cancel school, blah blah blah."

My hunch is that there is ONE "wild card" day coming up on Feb. 15. That day is listed on the district calendar as "No School or Snow Make-Up Day."  And then Monday, Feb. 18, is Presidents Day. Let's see, if they cancel school midweek due to snow, the four-day weekend turns into three. So could it be that district officials want to ensure their four-day weekend by risking the safety of our kiddos? I sure as heck hope not.

The Yakima Valley is forecast to get up to 12 inches of snow by Tuesday morning. Will Selah officials finally buckle and cancel school tomorrow? If conditions call for it, I sure hope so.

Some parents have taken to Facebook to voice their concern about the situation.

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