The raging storms and cold weather hitting the Los Angeles area left Hoover High with 40% of its students absent on Monday.
The heavy rain during the storm caused severe traffic, and some families were not able to make the commute. Students who usually walk to school were left with the choice between braving the downpour and risking getting drenched or skipping school.
“They should have canceled school because it was unsafe to make students walk around with how much rain there was and the freezing weather,” said Hoover student Melody Hidalgo.
Other students were not in the mood for the cold or were not able to handle it at all.
“It was really rainy, there was a lot of rain, and it was really wet,” said Issac Johnson, a student who was absent on Monday, “I have severe asthma, and that cold of weather could negatively affect it.”
Throughout the weekend, the city sent multiple flood warnings that told citizens to stay indoors and avoid driving, if possible. Power outages even occurred in some areas.
This uncertainty and danger left many parents as well as teachers wondering if it would have made more sense to just cancel school for the day.
Since school ended up staying open, many parents decided it was better for their children’s safety and comfort to let them stay home. This decision led 661 out of 1650 students to be absent and countless others to be late or excused.