CLEVELAND -- Snow-covered streets and sidewalks created problems for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District on Monday.

Many schools, including many elementary schools, sit in neighborhoods located on side streets that haven't been plowed, creating a dangerous situation for students trying to get to school.

Images: Kids Walk In Snow

The morning commute was filled with fish tails and tire spins, but it was even worse for 9-year-old Demara Robinson, who had to walk to school in the mess.

She said that she couldn't walk on the sidewalk, so she and other students had to walk in the street.

It was a dangerous situation for thousands of students in the district, especially in front of Paul Revere School, where the streets weren't touched at all.

"I was behind a parent who dropped their child off, and the child got out and the mom was going back and forth. I thought she was going to run over her own child," said fifth-grade teacher Cindy Strickland.

Teachers like Strickland ran into another problem. The parking lots at several different schools weren't plowed.

Teachers at John Adams High School got stuck midway into the lot, and without street parking, some gave up.

"After circling 45 minutes some teachers just finally went home because we're driving around in circles," said Strickland.

Some parents came back, because without teachers, students were literally left out in the cold.

"I came back 10 minutes later, said she didn't know what to do with them. They were left out side in the cold," said grandparent Freddie Henry.

Schools in Cleveland are open and the district is working hard to clean up the parking lots. The district is urging residents to shovel their sidewalks so that the children can walk on them.

The district said some parking lots are contracted out and others are done by maintenance, but there were some equipment problems Monday morning.

The district said one of the reasons school wasn't canceled is high-schoolers are taking their graduation exams this week.