How cold it has to be for schools to close as status orange snow warning issued
Met Éireann's latest forecast spells a deep freeze for Ireland with icy orange and yellow weather warnings in place this weekend. If you think it's been cold already, brace yourself, because it's about to get frostier with temperatures expected to nosedive to a chilling -4 degrees. The big chill comes just as schools are set to welcome back students after the Christmas holidays this Monday, and yes, the Department of Education is on high alert as they are "carefully monitoring developments" with the frosty forecast. While everyone's hoping the icy conditions won't put a wrench in travel plans, there's a chance schools may have to close next week. Each school's management board will have the final say on whether to hit the pause button or to delay the start to their day. Despite the big freeze, it's typically not the cold causing closures but rather the treacherous roads and walkways that come with it. Ice the ground poses a proper slide risk to the school community. So, if de-icing can’t be done before the morning bell, don't be surprised if the school doors don't open. Any heating hiccups during this cold snap will also weigh heavily on decisions. Each chill factor will be tackled on its own merits, reports RSVP Live. The Irish National Teachers Organisation say classrooms must be at least 16C by 10AM or within an hour of the school gates opening. If the heating isn't up to this temperature, it is likely that kids will be enjoying an impromptu day off. And when the heating isn't up to scratch, schools will notify parents by text. The Office of Emergency Planning advise schools and early learning centres to carry out a pre-weather event evaluation to allow them to continue to operate during cold snaps. "Any decision to close is taken in the interest of child safety, having assessed the local risks and having consulted, as appropriate, with school transport operators," says the Office of Emergency Planning. Issues to take into account include: conditions in the setting itself capacity of the setting to ensure the health and safety of children and students ability of parents, students, staff and school transport services to safely negotiate local road conditions to reach the setting guidance and direction from the principal response agencies For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
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