Snow Day

Yesterday as I drove home, I watched the snow pile up in drifts. I watched the road crews work tirelessly to stay ahead of the precipitation to keep the roads clear and safe. Local radio stations ticked off schools that had snow days. I found myself thankful for the schools that had gone virtual instead, and prayed for the children that had the day off.

I’ve seen many people talk about how they wish kids would be allowed to have a traditional snow day instead of going virtual. I know for children like me out there, a virtual school day could save them from extra “working” hours.

My parents would have made an effort to have me in school for those virtual days, to keep up appearances. To keep the school from questioning what was going on at home. A virtual day would have been continued safety for me.

A snow day for me would have meant an extra day of being trafficked.

I’ve never known the delight of watching the snow fall. As I watched the closed schools tick across the bottom of the local news station, I was never excited to see my school. I prayed I would have to bundle up and wait for the bus like any other winter day. I often began to cry as my school scrolled across the bottom of the screen. It meant I would spend the entire day being raped, beaten, and sold.

Today I am thankful for the schools who chose to go virtual. And I pray for the children who do not have a safe place to go today when school is cancelled.

- Hope, Survivor Leader