Emergency School Closing Information

As we approach the winter I would like to share with you the procedures regarding the emergency closing of schools. Several factors are considered when the decision to close school is made. Among the most important factors considered are the weather and traffic conditions. Can employees safely travel to their school buildings and can we safely operate our school buses to transport students? Are conditions such that it may be dangerous to risk having employees and students out in the inclement weather? Are all buildings operating with power and heat to safely house our students throughout the school day? Among secondary considerations are the weather forecast and what plans neighboring school districts have with regard to holding classes.

The decision to close school is made as early as possible so that notification can be made to parents and students. Since we have many programs that begin as early as 7:00 a.m. we generally try to make any closing decisions by 5:00 a.m. In case of impending bad weather, I monitor the conditions by consulting with our local police departments, Laidlaw Transit, the Weather Channel, by driving around various attendance areas to check road conditions and by consulting with neighboring school districts. In practice, we generally will follow the lead of our high school district with regard to closing the district unless weather conditions are significantly different than those to the north.

Once the decision is made to close school, parents are notified in four ways: 1) School closings are immediately posted on the district webpage, www.ccsd66.org. 2) A phone call is placed to all district homes using the Expedite Phone system to notify parents about any school closings or schedule changes. 3) Email is also sent to families on our email notification list announcing the school closing. 4) The Chicgaoland Emergency Closing Center is contacted so that closing information can be also shared with the TV and radio media.

It is seldom necessary to close schools but I hope that this information about our procedures will be helpful to you. It is never an easy decision to close school and such a decision is never universally approved by the public. The decision to close school is made based on the best information available the time and the safety and well-being of students and employees.