The Perplexing Case of Devraj "Dave" Kori

If there is one thing that Washingtonians are noted for it is their predeliction to panic when there is even a hint of snow. That's not without good reason. I can remember a time back in 1987 when it was snowing in the morning and there were already several inches on the ground but the schools in my district decided to stay open. I ended up going to school and by about mid-morning, school officials realized that the snow was falling much harder than they expected so they decided to close school early. We ended up getting snowed in and had to walk out (though we usually rode the bus about five miles to get home). The school board caught Hell for the decision to keep schools open that day and ever since they have always been a bit gun shy when it comes to making a decision on keeping schools open when wintry weather is predicted.

Last week we had a bit of snowfall here in the region and it was again more than what was originally predicted though nowhere near some of the record snowfalls we've had in recent years. That being said, most school districts either opened late and then closed or just decided to stay open. In Fairfax County they were open despite the fact that snow was falling and roads were getting covered over. Again though, the snow was not bad enough to warrant true panic. However, as students in school are wont to do, they complained. Seventeen year-old high school student Devraj "Dave" Kori decided to do something about it and called up his school board representative. When he didn't get a response on the office line he called up the school board member at home and left a message asking why the board member decided to keep the schools open. A short time later, Kori received an irate message from the wife of the school board member which Kori then posted on YouTube. The story took a life of its own from there and there has been debate on both sides of the arguement ever since.

Some state that Kori was out of line in calling a school board member at home and though Kori claims his call was not meant to be harassing, he feels (and rightfully so) that he didn't deserve the type of reactionary message he received in kind. People on the other side of the arguement state that though Kori had a right to speak to his school board representative, he shouldn't have made the call to his house like that. Now I myself believe that Kori has a right to raise a question about the decision to keep schools open but that he didn't have to call up the board member at home like that. Especially in light of the fact that the total amount of snow we received was not really all that bad. On Thursday there was, at the most, five inches in some of the worst areas that Kori was located. People up north in New England probably scoff at even the hint that schools should have been closed in this type of weather but around here it's unfortunately the norm.

I have been on campus at the University of Maryland in the middle of hurricanes and snow storms (of nearly a foot of snow) because despite the fact that the rest of the state was closed down, the University wanted to stay open so as not to fall behind during exam weeks. A valid concern to be sure but it brings to light the point I think Kori was attempting to make in his call. Kori stated that by leaving the schools open, it subjected students to dangerous conditions which could lead to injury. Driving to campus in the middle of a hurricane or snowstorm is a treacherous choice but if you're that concerned about conditions on the road, then why bother going in the first place? Going to school on such days is a choice and unless Kori's parents were adamant about his having to attend school then the choice should have been clear and he could have stayed home.

That doesn't mean that I condone the reactionary phone call he received which had him being referred to as a "snot-nosed kid" at one point. That was totally uncalled for and unnecessary and more childish than the phone call by Kori which initiated the exchange in the first place. Kori elevated the situation more when he posted the audio clip and phone number of the school board member to the web thereby increasing the noteriety and clearly increasing the amount of harassment the family would face. If calling at home was a problem which resulted in his being yelled at in turn, I don't think that posting a personal home number on the net in such a high profile manner will make things better. Winter weather in Washington is a fairly 'serious' matter with people seemingly dealing with life and death the moment a flake begins to fall. While people in snowier parts of the nation claim that they aren't better equipped to deal with the weather than we are, I ask you how a person down in the Carribbean would react if suddenly snow started falling on the roads. See my point?

I don't think Kori should face anything as severe as suspension or expulsion from school because he has every right to speak out and question his school board for their decisions, but he needs to exercise better judgement about when to begin calling people at their homes. My father called our county executive at home one time during a snow storm but that was after being snowed in our street for over a week and constantly getting the run-around from county personnel handling snow removal operations. He was also civil and clear in his message to the county executive and the result was that within a few hours we got snow plows on our streets. To complain about school being open during a relatively minor snow even in DC is a little childish in my book but then again Kori is still technically a child since he's under eighteen. Still, the reaction he got was even more childish.