Winter Closing Procedures

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Dear Parents/Guardians:

As the winter season approaches, please be assured that we are very sensitive to how much impact on families the decision to open or close schools in bad weather can have. While we know that our students are better served, both academically and socially, by being in school, our top priority is as always the safety of our students. In order to shed some light on this important topic, I would like to revisit some questions we typically do at this time of year.

QUESTION: How do we make our decision? Please understand that we make the decision to open or close the schools in bad weather on a careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

  • Information on road conditions from key bus company, district and police personnel. 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. Also, we must consider the conditions under which our staff members who live out of town drive to work.
  • Amount of snow and ice accumulated.
  • Whether precipitation is continuing.
  • Building conditions (such as whether we have electricity and heat).
  • Parking lot conditions. Our custodians and maintenance personnel work hard to clear and treat not only parking lots but also sidewalks and building entrances. Sometimes, under certain weather conditions, we can’t get this done in time.
  • Temperature and wind chill. Extreme cold can render our salting and de-icing efforts relatively ineffective.
  • Weather predictions. We prefer to not make our decision based on weather predictions, as we all know they are not always accurate. However, sometimes this is unavoidable.
  • What other school districts are doing. We also share information with other local districts (particularly those in the WHRHS regional family—see below) and check whether they are opening or closing.

QUESTION: Who makes the decision? As Superintendent of Schools, I am responsible for the final decision, based on the above factors and recommendations from key district personnel and local officials. Also, as we are part of a regional family of districts, I confer with the superintendents of Watchung, Long Hill, Green Brook and WHRHS every morning before making any decision.