ANNOUNCING AN INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE OR A SCHOOL CANCELLATION/DELAY DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
Dear Parents/Guardians,
There are some different considerations this school year, so we wanted to provide information about school cancellations and delays due to inclement weather in order for families to be prepared when we return to school in-person.
First, it is important to note that while Centerville Schools are operating in a remote learning environment, students will continue to learn from home even on days when there is inclement weather.
The following information applies when students are learning in-person in our school buildings.
With all of the school-related announcements over the past few months, you have most likely experienced a message from The Education Connection (TEC). We will continue to announce a school cancellation when the severity of a storm allows us to do so at the beginning of the school day by 6 a.m. If you are unable to answer, The Education Connection will leave a message. Please wait until the message is received and listen to your voicemail. If you don't have voicemail set up, you can call the number on your caller ID, which is (937) 813-2903, to listen to the message.
This automated message service allows us to contact our intended school-parent community within minutes. The service is voice activated so you will have to acknowledge the call and at least say, "Hello." Area television and radio stations will also be notified of a school closing due to a weather emergency. In addition you can check Centerville Schools' website, www.centerville.k12.oh.us, or check your local TV/radio channels for the latest information.
Each and every school day, the safe transporting of our students is a top priority. Often we operate in less than ideal conditions caused by traffic jams, road construction, wet and slippery pavement, poor visibility due to rain and fog and in accumulated snow and ice. The district utilizes 120 buses and more than 600 individual bus routes each day, transporting students to and from our two K-1 schools, six elementary schools, three middle schools, high school and alternative school and to and from 20 private/parochial schools.
Without sacrificing safety, each day of inclement weather is unique and therefore evaluated accordingly. The condition of roads, the location of the storm, and precipitation and temperature predictions are among the many factors considered. Over the years, school has been canceled due to low wind chill temperatures. Assuming our school buses start and our schools are warm, we may consider using a delay as an alternative to closing.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS FOR CLOSED DAYS On days when Centerville City Schools are closed for inclement weather, there will be no transportation service to public or private/parochial schools. Whether extra-curricular activities are cancelled will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
We do have five (5) calamity days built into our 2020-21 school calendar, so if schools are closed for five days or less, students would not be required to log into remote classrooms.
TWO (2) HOUR DELAYED START Centerville City Schools will operate on a two (2) hour delay in situations where a delayed start may be most appropriate. If the district is operating on a delay, start times for both in-person and remote instruction will be delayed.
The pick-up times for most bus riders will be scheduled two (2) hours later than the normal schedule. This includes public school students in grades PreK-12 and all private/parochial school students. The exception to this is PM Preschool and Kindergarten students as well as students participating in the afternoon session at SOP, whose pick-up would be delayed by one (1) hour.
The delayed start times for schools will be:
*Dismissal time will be 11:50 for AM Preschool & AM Kindergarten
Afternoon/evening activities will be held as scheduled.
EARLY DISMISSALS The Centerville City Schools will not dismiss early due to inclement weather. Notification of early dismissal is very difficult and we do not want to send students to any unattended or locked homes. If weather conditions are a concern, you have the option of picking up your son/daughter by calling the school office and notifying school office personnel of your intent. Students will not be released to friends and neighbors without verbal permission from the parent/guardian.
OTHER EMERGENCY CLOSURES In addition to inclement weather, individual school schedules could be affected by a variety of other circumstances. These include power failures, water main breaks, the severe outbreak of illness resulting in high absences of students or staff, etc. The Education Connection system and district website, as well as television and radio stations will be used to communicate any individual school schedule changes that may be a result of such an event.
In closing, I would again encourage you to have a plan in place that provides appropriate supervision of your son/daughter in the event school is canceled or delayed. While school is very important and every day of instruction is valued, the overall safety of our students must be considered first and foremost. This includes keeping them safe as they are transported to and from school, keeping them safe at school and at home in the event school is canceled or delayed.
As we prepare for winter, I hope you find this information useful.
Centerville City Schools |