After a long 4 day weekend, Smoky Hill students come back to school with hazy and snowy weather this morning. At 8:28, the line for the tardy cart downstairs in front of the lecture center is still a very long 8-minute wait even after the bell rang.

Today, Smoky Hill should had have a delayed start.

When you first walk into the building right before the bell rings, you still see students rushing to class and students waiting for the tardy cart. Lots of students came late to school this morning, even if they live near the school. It takes time for students to get ready and get to school, especially for students that walk to school.

Even though delayed starts are only delayed by 90 minutes, this can give students and staff a chance to have a small break in the morning to sleep more, eat breakfast and have time to get ready. With a delayed start today, students could have been to school on time instead of rushing to get out of the front door.

The traffic around the school is usually very busy but with the snowy conditions and slippery roads today, students still had to come to school with no time to get ready. Driving in snow is dangerous, it can cause traffic and major car accidents.

Other schools in the Cherry Creek School District closed like AXL Academy, a school that had a 2-hour late start. I believe Smoky Hill should had have no school or at least a delayed start.