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Weather related delays or closures information - Updated 1/21/22
January 21, 2022
Dear NECSD students, families, faculty, and staff,
As we continue through the winter months, I’m writing with some information to help clarify and remind our community of the practices the district will use to determine if/when a delay, closure, or early dismissal are necessary due to weather related issues.
At this time, the district has two (2) emergency days that are eligible for use for an emergency closure. In the event that the district exhausts all eligible emergency days, the district will have a virtual instruction day instead of a standard emergency day. These days will be synchronous (live) days, however, if a teacher loses power at their home and/or there are widespread power outages, instruction on those days may need to be adjusted.
Communication
School closings, delayed openings, and early dismissals resulting from weather conditions or other emergency situations will be shared directly with our NECSD community via email and robocall, posted on NECSD web and social media channels, and provided to the local media:
Decision-making Factors
There are many different factors that are considered when making a decision to close, delay, or dismiss early. Over the course of the day/night, when a storm is in the forecast, our staff:
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continuously monitors the weather from the National Weather Service, paying close attention to the forecasted duration of the storm as well as the severity
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monitors road conditions reported by the N.Y.S. Department of Transportation as well as local town and county transportation departments
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drives the roads throughout the district paying close attention to neighborhood roads, reduced visibility of bus stops as a result of snowbanks, etc.
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works in cooperation with our buildings and grounds staff to ensure that we can have school parking lots and sidewalks plowed in time
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communicates with surrounding schools to understand weather conditions and the impact on those districts
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makes recommendations to the Superintendent who typically makes a decision by 5 a.m. for a morning closure
Delayed openings
Delayed openings mean all schedules will be delayed by either one or two hours. Bus pickups will be approximately one or two hours later than the regularly scheduled pick up time, depending on the delay for that day. Although not as common, the district may even call for a three-hour delay if necessary.
Please continue to monitor all opening delays, as they could turn into school closings, depending on the weather.
Early dismissal
When the weather becomes severe during the day and driving conditions become unsafe, or when a state of emergency due to road conditions is declared by the state or county law enforcement, the district may consider early dismissal. Early dismissal decisions take into consideration the magnitude of the transportation operations and the number of buses required to transport students home and, in many instances, the possibility that young students may be going home to an empty house. Typically, the decision is made by mid-morning for an early afternoon dismissal. When an early dismissal is being considered, typically after school activities are canceled. Early dismissal notifications will be sent using the same methods described for delays and closings.
Early dismissal schedules:
Please refer to the following standard schedule for early dismissals throughout the year*:
Heritage Middle, NFA Main, NFA North, NFA West and South Middle – 10:15 AM
GAMS, Meadow Hill, Temple Hill and Vails Gate STEAM Academy – 11:15 AM
Balmville, Fostertown, Gardnertown, Horizons, New Windsor and Pre-K @ GAMS – 12:15 PM
*Dismissal times are approximate. Please contact your school building directly if you have questions about your specific school building.
On scheduled early dismissal days, the district offers bag lunches to all students in grades Pre-K-8. High school students are offered breakfast through the end of the last period.
After School and Evening Activity Cancellations
The decision to cancel after-school and evening activities is typically made by mid-day and publicized using the methods described above. If the district is closed for the day, after-school activities are typically canceled as well.
Sincerely,
Ed Forgit
Interim Superintendent of Schools
ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!
