School district unleashes epic comebacks on students tweeting for a snow day
Cherokee County School District, which is north of Atlanta, has 41,000 students, 41 different learning centers and one absolutely savage Twitter account.
A bit of background: Winter weather is slated to hit the southeastern U.S. The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the area from 4 p.m. Friday to 1 p.m. Saturday. But Cherokee County School District decided to remain open Friday, even as surrounding districts closed and gave students a three-day weekend.
Unsurprisingly, students were a little miffed about this decision and began lobbying the district last night over Twitter to cancel classes.
Very surprising, however, was the response of the district, who started tweeting back at students with the snark and sarcasm typical of the internet but not of your usual educators.
@simsbarbrother I do love Starburst. But no.
— Cherokee Co. Schools (@CherokeeSchools) January 6, 2017
@scriv62 $1?? Who do you think I am, McDonalds?
— Cherokee Co. Schools (@CherokeeSchools) January 6, 2017
@Prowlenson Tsk, tsk. Education is priceless.
— Cherokee Co. Schools (@CherokeeSchools) January 6, 2017
@Kasey_Cole14 that’s better than the last offer. But still, no. Save your money for college.
— Cherokee Co. Schools (@CherokeeSchools) January 6, 2017
And this is not the first time Cherokee County has gotten sassy when interacting with students on social media.
“Last winter, our office started a little friendly back-and-forth with our high school students on Twitter to increase engagement,” Barbara Jacoby, director of Public Information, told the Cherokee Tribune Ledger News. “We know there may be some parents who don’t care for Twitter’s ‘snarkiness,’ but we know the kids do, and this is another way to show them that we’re listening and we care. And that they can’t bribe us to close school by begging or bribing, despite their offers of everything from $1 to a Starburst candy to a first-born child. It’s impossible not to chuckle at their creativity and wit.”
In a statement to McClatchy, Jacoby declined to comment on the tweets or say who had written them.
“We’re focused on teaching and learning, so we don’t want to make this any bigger than it already is,” Jacoby said.
The district, meanwhile, has been rewarded for its creative engagement with children. The Georgia School Public Relations Association has recognized the district for its outstanding use of social media every year since 2012.