Panic trigger: The premature nature of NJ closures & delays

A lot has changed over the decades regarding how we get our information. Gone are the days of having to wait till the morning to see if you'll have a closure or delayed opening.

In one sense, it's really nice. All we have to do is check out our phones to see what's what in real-time.

But on the other hand, that anticipation of having to wait until the last minute is gone. Especially for schools since kids typically learn if their school will be open or not the day before.

More on that in just a moment. First, think back to when you were a kid. How did you learn of your school having a delayed opening or closure due to weather?

If you're in your 20s or younger, it's probably always been digital. But if you're in your late 20s or older, you might remember the days of the long list.

If you watched TV, you probably waited for the long scroll of closing and delayed opening announcements to see if your school was mentioned. And being it was alphabetical order, you pretty much knew when you had to lock in and pay attention.

If you turned on the radio, it was similar, except that you had to listen to the list be read aloud. But again, it was in alphabetical order so you knew exactly when your school was about to come up.

And the anticipation was there. You were wide awake just waiting to see what your school was going to do. Did you have a snow day, a late start, or just a regular full day?

You also didn't know what to expect until the morning of. Even if it snowed overnight, there was no true way of knowing what your school was going to do until the early morning hours the day of.

It was exciting in our household for sure. And if you had that extra time in the morning, you definitely took advantage of it by going outside and making the best of it.

Nowadays it's very different. Gone is that anticipation of listening or watching for your school.

That job is now handled by push alerts, apps, texts, auto calls, emails, etc. In other words, some form of electronic communication.

And to be honest? It's a lot more efficient. You no longer have to wait for that one moment to catch your school's announcement, or risk waiting for the cycle to begin all over again.

But that's only one of the changes that have taken place. In more recent years, something else has changed. Have you noticed?

It was teased a little bit already. It's when the schools are making their announcements to close or have a delayed opening.

In the past, those decisions were made no later than around 6 or 7 A.M. on average the morning of. Nowadays those decisions are sometimes made almost a full day in advance.

The problem with that is simply this. You don't know if a delayed opening or closure will even be necessary in the first place.

Yes, the forecast might call for some snow in the area, but it doesn't always pan out the way we think it will. Or even if fierce winds are forecasted and the risk of power outages is elevated, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen in your area.

Even cold air in the forecast might warrant a decision to be made a day before while the current school day is still in progress.

But yet, these decisions to close or delay are now made so far in advance that it sometimes makes the closure or delay pointless when the time comes. Whatever happened to wait and see?

Wouldn't it be better for the kids to try and get their school days in if they can? Or, have we forgotten how to handle making these calls because we don't get as many snow or weather-related days as we used to?

One argument as to why calls are made so far in advance is so that the families can make necessary arrangements. And to be fair, that is a logical point.

But at the same time, how did we do it when we found out with about an hour to go before the start of the school day? The answer to that is quite simple.

Parents planned ahead knowing the possibility was there of a delay or closure. Yes, it was inconvenient, but it still is today. That part hasn't changed.

For our school district, they say the call is made in advance over an abundance of caution. In other words, because the possibility is there, let's just make the decision now so we all stay safe. And that's understandable.

But on the flip side, we've had days where the kids ended up being home for absolutely no reason. Bright and sunny skies with no issues whatsoever.

Yes, there might be a high potential of bad weather striking, but what if it ultimately spares the area? Had the call been made the morning of, the kids wouldn't be wasting a day.

So maybe we do jump the gun a little more than we used to, but at least we don't come to a screeching halt over one inch of snow as some southern states do. Hopefully, New Jersey will never get to that point.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.