Our first and foremost consideration is the safety of our students and staff. We take a number of steps to ensure they have a safe trip to and from school. Many factors go into the determination of whether to hold school:

• Monitoring Current Conditions & Forecasts - Prior to a storm, district personnel monitor forecasts and live radar images to help determine if a weather system is likely to impact the current conditions.

• Personnel - District personnel take to the streets to determine the actual conditions in the district. If a storm is at night or predicted for the morning, buildings & grounds and transportation personnel begin monitoring actual conditions between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. and continue throughout the early morning hours. District personnel also clear lots and sidewalks, and sand and salt as necessary.

• Ability to Clear Pathways - We take into consideration whether we will be able to clear school sidewalks and parking lots. Is there too much snow to clear in a timely fashion? Is now continuing to accumulate at a rate in which it cannot be cleared adequately?

• Monitoring Temperature - We take into account the temperature and wind chill, both to determine air temperature safety, but also to determine the possibility of changing road conditions.

• Coordination of Sources - All of these factors are taken into consideration and a decision is made through communication and data input from any sources, including the Greater Southern Tier BOCES and other local school districts.

Parents should always keep in mind that in addition to the precautions taken by the school district to monitor the conditions, on days when the decision is made to have school, parents can still determine if it is unsafe for their children to travel to and from school, or if a delay in getting to school is appropriate.

School district officials urge families to listen to the radio each morning when inclement weather or other problems could potentially cause a school closing or delay. The following radio and television stations will announce closings or delays:

Please listen to the radio or watch the local news for closings. Do not call school offices or the bus garage for information. The telephone lines are needed for emergency communications in the morning. Announcements will be made as soon as possible. When school is delayed, school bus departures and pickups are two hours later than usual. If school is delayed, the Middle and High School schedules are as follows:

1. Unload buses at 10:00 AM.

2. Students report to homeroom by 10:10 AM.

3. Attendance is taken between 10:10 - 10:15 AM, during which time morning announcements are made.

4. At 10:15 AM students pass to their third period class. Third period starts at 10:19 AM.

5. The regular school schedule takes place for the remainder of the day.

Occasionally it is necessary to send students home early. If parents are not always home during the day, they should make early dismissal plans for their children to be taken care of by a responsible adult.