Auberry students enjoy first snow day in nearly a decade

FRESNO COUNTY (KFSN) -- About 100 students at Pine Ridge Elementary were treated to a nice snow day Friday. The district says it has not had to use one in nearly a decade.

The Whitney brothers jumped for joy after they learned school was closed Friday because of heavy snow blanketing roads. It's a snow day the two are taking full advantage of.

"Catching up on stuff like movies, games," Gavin said. "I played chess with my brother earlier."

"I played out in the snow a little and then went inside, played chess, ate snacks and played games with Gavin," his brother Blake added.

The boys' mom is happy to have them home too, but she says the news of school being canceled was a surprise to them all.

"My husband woke up and drove the kids to school, and then the administrator Annie had texted me and asked if I had heard from the automated message, and I said 'No, my husband drove them to school," Tenisha Whitney said.

On Monday, the Whitney's got to have a family day since school was closed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And now with another three-day weekend, they are getting to do the same thing all over again.

Pine Ridge's superintendent Nathan Rose said they were planning to just delay school for two hours, but the snow was not letting up, creating challenges for both Caltrans and school crews working to clear streets.

So, for the first time in eight years, they were forced to cancel for the safety of faculty and students. Parents like Doug Hoppe say it was a smart move.

"Definitely be safe than sorry," he said. "They plan for a few snow days each year, very rarely do they have to call them."

The students will not have to make this day up because of scheduled snow days built into the school's calendar.