Though most of us don’t want to admit it, winter has arrived. We wanted to share with you our procedures should we have to have an unexpected school closing. Because these closures are unexpected, all families should have a contingency plan for their children in the event of school closings.
Who makes the decision to close school?
All school closings and/or schedule changes are decided by the Superintendent or his designee. There are three primary factors that go into the decision to cancel school due to inclement weather: road conditions, visibility, and projections for incoming weather during the course of the day. As we evaluate these factors, keeping our students, staff, and families safe is our highest priority. Decisions to cancel or shorten the regular school day and after school activities shall be made by the Superintendent or his designee in consultation with other District leaders, and may include consultation with local city/county personnel and neighboring school districts, as appropriate. The Chief Administrative Officer and the Transportation Manager will consult with the Superintendent to ensure facilities are able to receive students and buses are able to run routes. Decisions on school closings and late starts will be made as early as possible – either the night before or as early in the morning as possible, typically by 5:30 a.m.
How will the district determine Late Starts and Early Dismissals?
Late starts and early dismissals are inherently difficult for many programs and families. With this in mind, we do our best to keep these to a minimum. Early dismissals will be determined as conditions dictate.
How will staff/families be notified?
All school closing information will be communicated by the Director of Communications or her designee through:
Parent and Staff Notification System (messages via Skylert) - an email, recorded voice message, and text message
District and School websites
RPS App (search "Rochester Public Schools" in your app store
Social Media - Like and follow us on Facebook
Local Media Outlets – such as KTTC, KAAL, KIMT, and KROC
Families with students in the district are automatically enrolled in our Skylert messaging system, however, if you opted out of receiving one Skylert, you have opted out of receiving all Skylert messages. To re-enroll, go to your Family Access portal on Skyward and on the left hand navigation, select “Skylert.” Select the boxes in the areas you want to be contacted about. Note that if you have multiple students in the District and make a change for one, it is updated for all of your students. Each parent/caregiver should complete this step to ensure they are receiving the information they want to receive.
Learn more about inclement weather and emergency school closings on our at www.rochesterschools.org/inclement-weather.