Staff training activities and meetings can only be done when students aren’t present. Two staff training days have therefore been included in the calendar to allow staff members the opportunity to attend workshops led by experts in education, collaborate with each other to improve their skills, discuss ways to help struggling students, or learn about new academic standards and curriculum.

Weather conditions or other events may cause school to be canceled or delayed. Bus routes may also be affected by unsafe travel conditions. If school is canceled, the school day will be made up later in the year. Here are some ways you can get informed if school is canceled or the start of school is delayed:

• Receive a call, text or email notice through the parent notification system, called Blackboard Connect. See page 21.
• Watch or listen to local TV and radio stations. Most of the major radio and television stations will broadcast information about school closures and delays.
• Follow the district’s Facebook account.
• Check the district website.

Conditions could develop during the school day that may require school to be dismissed earlier than planned. Information about early dismissals will be provided to local radio and television stations and distributed through the school district’s automated parent notification system. If school is dismissed early, and transportation home is not available, a child will be released only to his or her parent or guardian or to a person previously authorized by the parent or guardian. We ask that parents please bring photo identification (such as a driver’s license) to ensure student safety. School staff will remain at the school until all students have been released.

The school district uses a notification system called Blackboard Connect to send important messages to families if school has been canceled or delayed.
Please see the information on page 21 of this Family Handbook about the process for selecting your preferences for how you’ll like to receive these family notifications. Please see the information in the section about Staying Connected to learn more about the process for selecting your preferences for how you’ll like to receive these family notifications.

In addition to the family notification system, there are other options for receiving text messages in the event of a school closure or delay. When the school district announces a change in the schedule, it notifies the local TV and radio stations through a service called FlashAlert.

Anyone can sign up to receive a text message directly from FlashAlert when the district posts a notice to that system. You can sign up for FlashAlert notifications at www.flashalert.net. Many local TV and radio stations also offer similar text messaging services.