Dear Parents,

This morning there was a nip in the air and you have probably heard, as have I, that weather forecasters are expecting a pretty rough winter.

In emergency situations, such as snow and icy weather conditions, the top priority is the safety of students and staff. The district also recognizes that snow days can disrupt family schedules and mean the school year may have to be extended; so the decision to close schools is not an easy one. To help make the best possible decision, the district gathers a lot of information. If there is an indication a closure may be in order, the transportation department staff gets on the roads around the district at 3 a.m. to report current conditions to the support services department. Once all the information is collected, the support services staff forwards its best recommendation to the district's administration. There are three options that the district may use: leave schools open, start late, or close schools. The decision needs to be made no later than 5 a.m. to get the notification systems in place. If there is any question about a school late start or closure you can find that information on the district Web site, as well as local television and radio stations. Remember, if school is closed there may be no one at school to answer phone calls or provide information. Let's hope that only our holidays are white!

Thanks,