Ice causes closures and delays, parents confused

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Some Pender County parents are confused after last minute delays Friday.

Emergency crews were directing traffic and asking drivers to go slowly on I-40 near the Pender-Duplin County line, where icy conditions caused several crashes early Friday morning.

The patches of black ice in the region also forced school systems to either delay or cancel classes.

Duplin County schools were close. Brunswick County Schools were delayed for the second day in a row. Pender County was a different story.

One parent who wants to remain anonymous says she doesn’t understand why they were not delayed Thursday on the coldest day they’ve had so far.

“Students that were standing out at the bus stop at 6:00 in the morning when it’s still dark out with the wind chill at two degrees, I just thought it was odd.”

Then Friday when she left to take her child to West Pender Middle School there was still no delay.

“I had to do about 30 miles an hour down the road because of ice,” she said.

She says the first bell rings at 7:40. It wasn’t until 7:47 that she got a call saying the school would be delayed two hours.

“They told me that because they put a 2 hour delay on so late and the first load of students of buses were already there that they were going to go ahead and start school on regular time,” she said.

Pender County Schools Spokesperson Joyce Keith responded to us by e-mail.

“The weather did not impact the entire attendance area of the affected schools,” Keith said. “The district made a decision based on the safety of our students. Buses already in route were asked to continue to school, assuming safe conditions. We regret the confusion, but are pleased to report students arrived safely and we are on a normal schedule. ”

The parent says it was a confusion that put everyone at risk.

“Ice doesn’t happen in a matter of a 15 or 20 minute period so, someone should have been out checking that beforehand,” she said. “We’re talking about the safety of kids and even their staff.”

Photo courtesy: Tiger Aldrich