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INCLEMENT WEATHER INFORMATION

INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES

The District’s decision to open or close schools in bad weather has a big impact on our families. Our top priority is the safety of our students. Below, please find a list of helpful information regarding Council Rock School District’s inclement weather procedures and notification system.  

How is the decision made? The decision to open, close, or delay schools in bad weather is based on careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

  • Information on road conditions from transportation staff and other officials. We must give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in the District. Even if your street looks clear, travel elsewhere in the District may be dangerous.
  • Amount of snow and ice accumulated.
  • Precipitation timeframe.
  • Building conditions, such as whether we have electricity and heat.
  • Parking lot conditions.
  • Temperature and wind chill. Please remember that some of our students walk to school and some must wait outside for the bus.
  • Weather predictions. We prefer not making decisions based on weather predictions, which are not always accurate. But sometimes this is unavoidable.
  • What other school districts are doing. We also share information with other local districts and check whether they are opening or closing.

Who makes the decision? The Superintendent of Schools makes the final decision, based on the above factors and recommendations from the Director of Facilities, Supervisor of Transportation, and local authorities.

When is the decision made? The decision is normally made as soon as possible so we can communicate the news effectively. Every effort is made to announce a closing in a timely fashion.

Two-Hour and Three- Hour Delays: The District will sometimes utilize either a two-hour delay or three-hour delay to allow additional time for road crews to complete their work. In the case of a two-hour delay, buses will run regular routes two hours later. In the case of a three-hour delay, buses will run three hours later than their normal time. AM Kindergarten is CANCELLED when either delay method is utilized.

Early Dismissal: Parents/Guardians, please consider making contingency plans with neighbors, friends or relatives, to assure that your child has adult supervision and a place to go in case of early dismissals due to inclement weather, especially in the case of young children. Please talk with them about these possibilities and “practice” what they are to do.

INCLEMENT WEATHER NOTIFICATION METHODS

Council Rock School District utilizes many communication channels to notify our school community about inclement weather. Please review the following, as all methods will be used to alert of school opening delays, school closings, and early dismissals due to inclement weather. 

Blackboard.Comm Robocall: placed to all phone numbers provided and housed in our parent and staff portals. FYI- provider issues can sometimes interrupt or delay individual robocall delivery. Please refer to other notification methods if you do not receive your call as expected. Also, robocalls are ALWAYS re-communicated with a repeat email message. When in doubt, check your email.    

Blackboard.Comm Mass Email: sent out to all parents/guardians and staff. 

Blackboard.Comm Texting: the Office of Community Relations utilizes texting as a notification method for inclement weather situations starting this winter season. Texts are sent to parent/guardian mobile numbers provided and housed in HAC and staff mobile numbers listed in ESS.   Parents/guardians /staff members can opt out of CR text messaging by typing STOP to the initial text received. Not to worry - If you opt out of texting, you will still receive district phone calls and emails!

Council Rock Website Pop Up Message: high visibility inclement weather message posted on district homepage and all school homepages.

Council Rock Official Facebook Page: all inclement weather messaging is posted on the district’s official Facebook page and updated accordingly. Like /Follow us @CouncilRockSchoolDistrict

Council Rock Official Twitter Feed: all inclement weather messaging is tweeted out via the district's officialTwitter Feed. Follow us @CouncilRockSD

Television Notification: ABC 6, CBS 3, NBC 10 alerts and KYW News Radio