A reminder about inclement weather and academic instruction decisions for the 2022-23 school year

be prepared sign

Dear parents/guardians:

As a reminder, the district has emergency days built into its calendar for the 2022-23 school year, which are usually used for inclement weather/snow days.

As per past practice, we closely monitor several reputable weather forecasting outlets in advance of the anticipated weather. We also consult with and rely on the good, sound professional judgment of our Transportation Department, local highway departments and local law enforcement when assessing current and forecasted road conditions. Safety is always our first concern.

The district is legally required to have 180 instructional days each school year. We currently have two emergency days left to use during the course of the school year for any reason, which includes closures due to inclement weather.  It’s only March 10, and the possibility does exist for us to address future inclement weather issues, including what we’re seeing in the forecasting models for early next week.

While we have followed the traditional practice of closing schools due to inclement weather conditions for this school year, it’s clear we will need to be positioned to pivot for the use of remote instructional days to avoid school closures and/or the taking back established vacation days. Remember, emergency closure days can happen for a variety of reasons, not just weather, and we must be prepared. We wanted to alert you to this now, should a decision be made to do this.

The forecast in the coming days indicates more inclement weather is coming.  While forecasts are not truly reliable until the last minute, your child’s teacher will be having conversations with his/her students about possible remote instruction options. Building principals will be reaching out to you with more details.

Please monitor the website and our Facebook page with any weekend updates, though I want to stress the upcoming potential forecast doesn’t necessarily mean the use of remote instruction.  If necessary, we will also communicate via the SchoolMessenger notification system and by telephone.

We ask that you use this as an opportunity to discuss with your child the reasons why remote instruction is a necessary option going forward in this school year.

We appreciate your support and understanding as our trusted partners in your child’s education.

Sincerely,

Brian C. Monahan
Superintendent