Due to the influence of Typhoon “Shadel” and heavy rainfall, schools in various parts of Fujian have been suspended one after another in recent days. On September 3rd, the entire city of Fuzhou also announced the suspension of classes. However, the announcement was made close to the peak time for students going to school. Many students were already on their way or had arrived at school, forcing parents to brave the rain to pick up their children. Some parents even got “rained on three times” that day.
The Fuzhou Municipal Education Bureau official WeChat account issued a notice at 7:47 am on September 3rd, declaring the suspension of all educational activities in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, vocational schools, universities, training institutions, and practice bases in the city on that day. They also required the education bureaus of various counties and districts and all levels of schools to immediately notify each student and their parents.
According to reports from The Paper, at the time of the announcement, many parents in Fuzhou were in the process of sending their children to school, and many students were already on their way to school, with some near the school gates.
A Fuzhou resident named Chen Feng (pseudonym) said that his two children are studying in first grade and third grade of primary school in Cangshan District. On the rainy morning, he and his wife took separate routes to accompany their children to school. At 7:20 am, he rode an electric bike with his daughter and was close to the school gate by around 7:30 am. At 7:32 am, he received a call, and his daughter answered and told him, “Dad, classes are cancelled, turn back!” The traffic was already very congested at that time, and many vehicles began to turn around.
Several parents also shared similar experiences on social media platforms. A parent of a high school student said that they were “rained on three times” that day: they braved the rain in the morning to take their child to school, then rushed to work, only to receive the class suspension notice as they sat down, forcing them to once again brave the rain to pick up their child and return home before going back to work.
Another parent mentioned that they rode an electric bike in the wind and rain to take their child to school, only to receive the class suspension notice after returning home to shower and change clothes. Some parents believed that the announcement of class suspension was made during the peak travel time for students, with many already on their way or at school, sudden turnarounds could increase the risk of traffic accidents and safety hazards such as falling objects.