FILE: EBCE-R

SCHOOL CLOSINGS, CANCELLATIONS, AND EARLY DISMISSAL

1. In order to decide if schools will be open, the district will:

• Collect data at the earliest appropriate time. The district will check with Springs Transit, the National Weather Service, the Colorado Springs Police Department and three geographically located staff members.
• Make the decision as to whether schools will be closed and announce the decision no later than 5:30 a.m., unless there are extenuating circumstances by calling the local media.

2. In the event school is closed for the day:

Parents are expected to:

• Be responsible for custody of their children.
• Listen to the news broadcasts on stormy mornings.

The community is expected to:

Listen to the news broadcasts to determine if community education classes, rental leases and co--curricular activities will take place as planned.

Make a personal decision about whether to attend late afternoon or evening activities.

3. In the event a delayed/safety start occurs, the district will:

• Make the decision to delay school by 2 hours and announce that decision no later than 5:30 a.m. unless there are extenuating circumstances.
• Make the decision to cancel community education classes, rental leases and co-curriculum activities by 1:00 p.m., unless there are extenuating circumstances.
• Begin school for all students, except a.m. kindergarten and all pre-school activities, 2 hours later than each school's normal arrival time.
  
  i Cancel all a.m. kindergarten classes.
  i Cancel all pre-school activities.
  i Cancel breakfast programs and before-school enrichment programs.
  i Contribute to the safety of students and of the entire community by reducing the amount of pedestrian and vehicle traffic during peak hours and under poor driving/walking conditions.
  i Use a common symbol at each elementary school to indicate a delayed/safety start.
  
  Parents are expected to:
• Be responsible for custody of their children until school begins.
• Listen to the news broadcasts on stormy mornings.
• Decide whether to send their children to school on threatening, stormy days.

Send their children to school at the delayed start time rather than the normal time.

4. In the event a decision has been made to open schools and the storm worsens unexpectedly, the district will:

• Inform the media listed above not later than 11 a.m. that schools will dismiss students early.
• Dismiss students two hours earlier than normal, unless otherwise directed by the Superintendent or designee. Schools will make every effort to complete lunch service before dismissal.
• Keep buildings open as long as necessary to evacuate all students safely.
• Cancel all p.m. preschool and kindergarten.

Parents are expected to:

• Listen for an early dismissal announcement no later than 11 a.m.
• Make sure their children know what to do and where to go if dismissed early.
• Know that students will be dismissed two hours earlier than normal.
• Not rely on the telephone to make last-minute arrangements for their children. (Lines tend to malfunction during storms.)

5. District personnel practices when schools are closed, delayed or let out early for bad weather conditions.

In the event of a 2 hour delayed start for schools, ALL employees are expected to work their regular schedules. However, employees should make sure they can arrive safely, and it is understood that in these cases employees will be no more than 60 minutes late.

When the Superintendent declares that the schools are closed because of inclement weather, all employees, except those designated as essential, will not be required to report for work and will receive their normal pay in the same manner as if school buildings were not closed.

Essential employees as designated by each Division Head and may include certain Facilities and Security employees, building custodial staff, administrators, and designated employees are expected to safely report to work at their location(s). During such inclement weather, while the District buildings may be closed, these employees would perform snow removal and other safety and maintenance-related functions as part of their regular job duties. If schools are closed early, appropriate staff members are expected to stay until all students have been cleared from the building.

Executive Directors and above, as well as the building principal or building manager, have the responsibility and the authority to direct the Custodial Operations employees assigned to that building to perform necessary snow and/or ice removal and perform other safety measures as appropriate to reduce or eliminate the risk of injuries during and after such inclement weather when the building is scheduled for use by students, staff or the public. Employees assigned to such duties will not be penalized if they are unable to safely report to work because of inclement weather.

The administrators in Facilities will direct their employees and building managers with respect to snow removal operations in the district.

The ESP Policy and Procedure Handbook, Section 17.1, states: "An employee who is approved to work by his/her supervisor (if schools are closed for bad weather conditions) shall be paid for the actual hours worked at straight time, plus being paid for the day when the schools are closed. (In the event that working these hours causes the employee to work more than forty [40] hours in that week, the employee shall be paid time and one-half for the actual hours worked over forty [40], plus being paid for the day when the schools are closed.) An employee will not be charged for sick leave, vacation or personal leave on a day when the schools are closed." Food and Nutrition Services school site personnel will not receive their normal pay in the same manner as if school buildings were not closed and are exempt from Section 17.1 of the ESP Policy and Procedure Handbook. (This exception is based on the nature of the Food Service operation as a self supporting enterprise fund, and as such, any loss in revenue must be mitigated by a reduction in expenses.)

If the schools are open and an employee is not able to report for work, the employee may use paid leave or vacation time, if it is available, to account for the day's absence. If paid leave or vacation time is not available, the employee may apply for emergency leave. If the schools are closed on a payday, paychecks will be disbursed on the next workday.

Local radio stations and television channels, will inform patrons and employees of District Eleven that the schools are closed or on delayed start that particular day. Patrons and employees of District Eleven should be reminded to listen to news broadcasts on stormy days.

Exceptions to this policy may be made by the Superintendent, or his designee, where Colorado High School activities competition or rental to outside agencies could be adversely affected.

Approved December, 1987
Revised June 23, 1982
Revised November, 1990
Revised September, 1993
Revised October, 1998
Revised July, 1999
Revised December, 2000
Revised April, 2001
Revised January 2003