This is a copy of a previously written informational article concerning Lebanon Community School's policies and procedures for delays or cancelations due to winter weather. In light of the recent "Polar Vortex" weather and the weeklong closure of school I thought it would be worthwhile to republish the information.

As the Superintendent, I can assure you when the winter storms and extremely cold temperatures are forecast; the LCSC staff is proactively working to gather as much information as possible to make a timely determination about the delay or closure of Lebanon Schools. Starting up to 24 hours before a potential inclement weather situation, the LCSC staff is in communication with local and regional law enforcement agencies, checking with the National Weather Service, city and county street departments, and Indiana Department of Transportation when necessary. All of this communication is necessary to gather the information we need to make a decision that is in the best interest of student safety. In addition to gathering information about the weather predications, every decision made about delaying or closing school is always made after LCSC personnel travel the roads. In most cases, the LCSC Director of Transportation and I start driving both the city and county roads around 4:00 a.m. There are specific city streets and county roads we drive to ascertain the conditions and the possible impact the weather will have on bus transportation, students and staff that drive to school, and the students that walk to school. Only after all of the information is collected and I have experienced the conditions first hand do I make a determination as to what impact the weather will have on the school day. In the end, unless there is a county or state wide snow emergency declared, it is the decision of the Superintendent that determines delays or closures.

There are primarily two changes to the school schedule due to inclement weather. The first is the full closure - there will be no school that day. When the type of weather and the consequences that come with the weather appear to be so severe the impact will last most or all of the day, school will be closed. When schools are closed there will be no access to any of the LCSC schools or facilities. Extra-curricular events will be cancelled as will all practices. Also if the issue is snow it is important the parking lots at the schools are free of cars so the maintenance crews can focus on removing the snow. In the case of the new high school, that means removing almost twice as much snow since we have expanded the size of the parking lot. If the inclement weather is extremely cold temperatures or fog, two factors that will likely change over the course of the day, a delay may be appropriate to insure student safety. In almost all cases a delay will result in school starting two hours later. Children should not arrive at school earlier than 15 minutes before a delayed start time. There are also very rare and unpredictable weather situations that could impact schools. We experienced our first school closure due to flooding conditions last spring, and in Indiana the possibility of a tornado is always a concern in the spring. In each case it is the safety and well being of the students and staff that will guide all decisions and resulting actions.

Even though winter weather has a nasty habit of operating on its own schedule, it is our goal to decide to delay or cancel school at the earliest possible time. This allows us to make the necessary notifications to the local media and to get the message out on the auto call system. The information concerning any school closure or delay is also always available on the LCSC website.

Bad weather can move into our area during the day. With student safety being our highest priority, LCSC may make the decision to implement an early closure. This is a very, very rare response to bad weather. It is often safer for students to remain at school under the supervision of staff. With so many families having a busy work schedule it is impossible to determine if a child will have a responsible adult or guardian waiting at them when they get home. In most cases of bad weather in the middle of the day it is better for us to keep students in school until it is safe to release them. Regardless of the type or length of a school delay or closure, it is important that every LCSC family have a plan in place to insure your children are well cared for and supervised. Likewise, it is extremely important your contact information, for both home and work, is accurate and up-to-date so communication from the school arrives to you as soon as possible.

Making the decision to delay or close school is the one decision I make as Superintendent I can guarantee will always be questioned, criticized, praised, or cursed. Regardless of your thoughts, I can assure you my decisions are always based on considerations for student safety. Making weather-related decisions is something that is never taken lightly, never made in haste, and is always made with the same care, and concern that you would make when it comes to the safety and well being of your child. The only difference is I make those decisions out of concern for the well being of 3,560 young men and women.

December 9 - 13, 2013 was computer science week. Purdue University held a programming challenge that week in which students were given a problem to solve using a program they had to write. The students in the first year programming class submitted programs and one group was chosen to have their work posted on the Purdue Computer Science website. They also received certificates and t-shirts from Purdue for their effort. The group consisted of Damon Jones, Wesley Martin, Colton Cline and Ryan Rogers.

The Lebanon High School Sunshine Society will open the doors to Cinderella's Closet in the months of January and February. Young ladies interested in renting a prom dress, shoes, or accessories are welcome to shop during their LAB or by appointment. Dress rental is $10. The club is also accepting donations. Please contact Mrs. Kristen Scott or Mrs. Heather Holman-Harrell for additional information.