Superintendent Tweets he ‘messed up’ snow day call
Blizzard Jan. 30 left parents, students upset on social media
Aaron Sable
MEDINA – Superintendent Aaron Sable found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of social media criticism early in the morning Jan. 30.
Despite heavy snowfall, Medina City Schools buildings remained open, a decision hundreds of parents and students alike harshly and publicly took issue with on various social media platforms.
At 6:24 a.m., Sable in a Tweet lauded municipal road crews for their work in attempting to keep Medina’s roadways clear overnight, adding “School is open! Snow should stop early this morning.”
The snow, however, did not taper off in the city until after 8 a.m., leaving roads questionable for school commutes. Busing for students at the high school begins in the 6 a.m. hour.
Nearby districts Buckeye and Highland (only elementary schools for Highland) both had two-hour delays, an option Medina seldom uses. Brunswick Schools operated as normal.
A number of parents and students, as they began to get ready for the day, then started to flood Sable’s Twitter account with comments and concerns. His superintendent Facebook account, which mirrors his Twitter account, was also a hotbed for comments and discussion.
“I messed up the call this morning. I am sorry,” Sable followed up at 8:32 a.m. “I will provide you more detailed information later. Tardies and absences will be excused.”
But that only seemed to fan the flame, as some parents and students continued berating Sable with exaggerated comments – including demands that he step down from his job – as well as sending him meme images loaded with sarcasm, some of which included the likeness of former Superintendent Dave Knight.
A number of responses were also in support of Sable’s decision to keep school operations going that morning.
Sable followed up with another Tweet at 9:23 a.m. clarifying, “Students that are already in school should remain. Leaving early will not be excused. Parents who have already called off (their students) are excused.”
Sable’s office did not return calls from The Medina Post.
He instead posted to Facebook and Tweeted a link to a statement addressed to parents at the conclusion of the school day Jan. 30. The letter addressed a number of rumors that had circulated that day on social media among students and parents.
“The first (rumor) was that school was being called off after students had arrived; this will rarely occur,” Sable stated. “A second rumor was that teachers were called off or not able to make it into work that day.”
Sable said some teachers who live further up north had to call off, but the majority of district teachers were at school. He said the regular school day was delayed “no more than 15 to 20 minutes after the regular start time.”
Sable has been an active Twitter user, @MedinaSup, since taking his post in August, 2016, an increasingly-popular trend for public officials at all levels of government. Sable uses the platform to highlight district accomplishments and report the latest district-wide news.
His amount of followers nearly doubled in the 48 hours that followed that morning. He had over 1,500 at press time.
Sable closed school buildings due to weather Jan. 10, the only time so far during the current school year.
Despite heavy snowfall, Medina City Schools buildings remained open, a decision hundreds of parents and students alike harshly and publicly took issue with on various social media platforms.
At 6:24 a.m., Sable in a Tweet lauded municipal road crews for their work in attempting to keep Medina’s roadways clear overnight, adding “School is open! Snow should stop early this morning.”
The snow, however, did not taper off in the city until after 8 a.m., leaving roads questionable for school commutes. Busing for students at the high school begins in the 6 a.m. hour.
Nearby districts Buckeye and Highland (only elementary schools for Highland) both had two-hour delays, an option Medina seldom uses. Brunswick Schools operated as normal.
A number of parents and students, as they began to get ready for the day, then started to flood Sable’s Twitter account with comments and concerns. His superintendent Facebook account, which mirrors his Twitter account, was also a hotbed for comments and discussion.
“I messed up the call this morning. I am sorry,” Sable followed up at 8:32 a.m. “I will provide you more detailed information later. Tardies and absences will be excused.”
But that only seemed to fan the flame, as some parents and students continued berating Sable with exaggerated comments – including demands that he step down from his job – as well as sending him meme images loaded with sarcasm, some of which included the likeness of former Superintendent Dave Knight.
A number of responses were also in support of Sable’s decision to keep school operations going that morning.
Sable followed up with another Tweet at 9:23 a.m. clarifying, “Students that are already in school should remain. Leaving early will not be excused. Parents who have already called off (their students) are excused.”
Sable’s office did not return calls from The Medina Post.
He instead posted to Facebook and Tweeted a link to a statement addressed to parents at the conclusion of the school day Jan. 30. The letter addressed a number of rumors that had circulated that day on social media among students and parents.
“The first (rumor) was that school was being called off after students had arrived; this will rarely occur,” Sable stated. “A second rumor was that teachers were called off or not able to make it into work that day.”
Sable said some teachers who live further up north had to call off, but the majority of district teachers were at school. He said the regular school day was delayed “no more than 15 to 20 minutes after the regular start time.”
Sable has been an active Twitter user, @MedinaSup, since taking his post in August, 2016, an increasingly-popular trend for public officials at all levels of government. Sable uses the platform to highlight district accomplishments and report the latest district-wide news.
His amount of followers nearly doubled in the 48 hours that followed that morning. He had over 1,500 at press time.
Sable closed school buildings due to weather Jan. 10, the only time so far during the current school year.