The chilly and unpredictable Texas winter is upon us. The recent icy weather has even caused Leander Independent School District, along with other districts in the area, to cancel or delay classes. With safety as the foremost concern, LISD canceled school on Jan. 24, 28, and Feb. 7.

The fashion in which LISD canceled school, however, gained more attention and criticism than that of other districts. On Jan. 28, LISD canceled school past their targeted 6 a.m. update time, while some children were already at school or traveling to school. Parents were upset at the tardiness and failure to notify families in due time whether school would be held or not, and LISD later issued an apology regarding the late notice. The next ice day, the announcement of the cancelation of school was released at 8:51p.m., well in advance of the next school day, which had little threat of ice on the roads. This also received criticism from parents and students alike.

Though many students were joyous about an extra day to procrastinate on homework, some did not respond as enthusiastically due to the consequences of canceling classes. According to Texas State Law, students must have school a certain number of days, and the snow days have thrown LISD into a frenzy to find replacement days to squeeze in the calendar.  The threat of one of these make-up days being on Memorial Day also gained speculation, as some parents were outraged at the thought of sending their children to school on a nationally recognized holiday. However, Bret Champion announced the make-up days shortly after emphasizing that LISD students would not be going to school on Memorial Day.

In order to account for lost days due to the Icepocalypse of 2014, Feb. 26 will be a full day of instruction, and April 28 will also be a regular school day.