‘Oh, I love a rainy night’ ... and snow days

BY EILEEN BRADY
THE NEWS JOURNAL OF WILMINGTON, OHIO ​

One of the cruel byproducts of spending 13 years in public school and another four — ahem, five — years in college is that I never stopped expecting summers off. And I never stopped getting giddy about snow days. 
Although I had wanted to become a teacher so I could continue that schedule, I instead became a journalist, which meant that dangerous weather and natural disasters caused me to spend more time at work, not less. 
I never did give up wishing for snow days, even when I lived where it didn’t snow. There’s just something so precious about being given the unexpected gift of a full day of free time. 
So forgive me if I condone a recent criminal act involving an unexpected snow day.

​Two Edgewood High School girls have been accused of hacking into the Butler County school’s Web site Feb. 4 to schedule an unauthorized snow day when it was only supposed to be a one-hour delay. 
It was unlawful. It was illegal. It was against the law. I know, I know, I know.
So why did I chuckle and silently cheer for the “snow day hackers”?
Because I know that I am not the only kid who grew up in Wilmington just wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’ for a snow day. If I had been smart enough to orchestrate an unauthorized snow day, I’d like to think I would have done so — not just for me, but for my fellow classmates, all yearning for a
24-hour reprieve from a term-paper deadline or a pop quiz or a belligerent bully.
Of course, I’d like to think that 25 years ago when I was most fervently wishing for snow days, I wouldn’t have been charged with the felony both girls face, with potential sentences ranging from fines and restitution to a year in juvenile detention. I may have been suspended, sure, but I’d hope that the victimless crime of a false snow day would’ve been dealt with in the principal’s office, not in the courtroom.
I can hear an administrator’s voice in my head arguing with me, and I suppose the Edgewood City Schools superintendent is a victim, as are the parents and students who were “confused” about reports of a closing and a one-hour delay. But what about the untold masses who gave thanks for their gift?
“Obviously, (the hackers’) actions were very disruptive to the school system,” Sgt. Monte Mayer, Butler County Sheriff’s Office spokesman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Well, sanctioned snow days are inherently “disruptive” to the school system. And it can be “confusing” to parents when school is closed one snowless day — seemingly because of a frigid low temperature of -2 degrees — and then it is open three snowy days later, although the low temperature is 1 degree. Too cold for the kiddies one day, then a few days later, they’ll be OK — not even a delay needed.
Computer hacking wasn’t available to me in 1980, back before TV stations even cared about snow days, before there was a “crawl” at the bottom of the screen dedicated to school closings, back when we actually had to get out of bed on the morning of the bad weather to listen to WKFI or WSWO and suffer again through Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love a Rainy Night” or Ronnie Milsap’s “Smoky Mountain Rain” before hearing those five wonderful words: “Wilmington City Schools are closed.” And don’t forget its second-best sibling: “Wilmington City Schools are on a one-hour delay.”
If we weren’t already too excited about our good luck, we could go back to bed with smiles on our faces.
Now, though, students don’t have to wait: Notices are posted online, and the local networks are crowded with information when the weather is simply predicted to become treacherous.
I couldn’t even watch Monday’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” because of all the onscreen clutter: the opaque NBC peacock; the flashing WLWT.com and large numeral 5 with a different, more colorful NBC peacock; a flashing advertising logo; a graphic with no less than 23 counties represented; the words “Winter Weather Advisory”; the time (10:04 p.m.); the temperature (34 degrees); and the red-bordered, two-line crawl that listed not only school closings but any ol’ closing called in by John Q. Public.
The following are actual weather-related closings that flashed on the WLWT-TV crawl Monday night:
“Greater Cincinnati Police Museum. Closed.” Whew. Glad we could prevent that rush of tourists.
 “Gas & Electric Retirees. Meeting canceled.” Good news for all six of them.
“M.O.P.H. Tuesday meeting canceled.” What, exactly, is M.O.P.H.?
“Pro Care Carpet Cleaning. Emergency Service Only.” Let’s hope I never have an emergency carpet cleaning.
What a waste of a TV broadcast. Makes me almost wish I had my ear to the transistor radio, listening to Eddie Rabbitt.