Should North Dakota Schools Have Cancelled Today?

It's cold. Correction: it's very cold. As a matter of fact, this is the coldest it's been in North Dakota on this date. We just broke the 1910 record of -37. At 5:30 this morning it was -38 degrees. Ouch!

Yes, frigid doesn't quite cover it when you're trying to find words to describe this kind of cold.

School Concerns

We always debate whether the school should be canceled due to snowfall, but we hardly ever discuss it when it comes to freezing temperatures.

Bismarck Public Schools considered canceling school today but ultimately decided that the show must go on. They posted this to Facebook late yesterday (February 17th, 2025).

Many people agreed with the decision, while others expressed their frustrations and concerns in the comments.

One person wrote, "If the school buses can't run, you shouldn't run school."

Another person said, "If it hurts to breathe outside, my kids aren't going out there."

Many parents decided to keep their kids at home today and said schools should consider that an excused absence.

Others quipped that people would be mad either way because they wouldn't have childcare lined up for this.

Bus drivers even chimed in, stating that they decided to call off due to the cold temperatures. They said six routes were called off due to drivers calling off.

Many people across the state have posted online about their cars not starting or that they started and got them to where they were going but left them stranded after that. They explained they couldn't get them started after that.

Some will argue that this is North Dakota, and we should be prepared and/or used to this type of thing and that we need to "Toughen up," but how tough can a person be in this weather?

What do you think? Should schools have been called off across the state? Should there be a protocol/rule in place for future frigid days?

Send us a message in the app and tell us how you feel about your school district's decision.