Dr.
Terry N. Bishop, Superintendent of Schools
Colorado Springs School District 11, 1115 North El Paso Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
(719) 520-2001 Fax: (719) 577-4546
August 2007
Dear District 11 Parent(s):
I want to assure you that the safety of our students, our staff and our parents is foremost in our minds when we make the difficult decisions about school closings, early safety dismissals and delayed safety starts.
Sudden weather changes are part of what we expect in Colorado. Bad weather often comes suddenly and goes quickly. To help us cope with the job of making sure our students are safe, School District 11 has appointed supervisory personnel to drive sections of District 11 during a storm. We assign the driving sections because, as we all know, the weather at Doherty High School can be totally different from the weather at Chipeta Elementary School or Mann Middle School.
These supervisory personnel report on weather and road conditions, especially noting poor visibility, poor traction and other hazardous street conditions, wind chill factors and snow accumulation. Completed reports by these on-the-street supervisors are consolidated and called in to me. Discussions occur, and further driving reviews and conversations may occur. These telephone reports are considered together with reports from the U.S. Weather Bureau, the Colorado Springs Police Department, the Colorado Springs Transit System and the Colorado Springs Street Division. After all the data is looked at, a decision is made for a delayed safety start, school closure or school as usual. All this usually begins at 2 to 3 a.m. and is accomplished by 5:30 a.m. so that the decision can be reported to the public over radio and television and on the District 11 Web site (www.d11.org) and Comcast Channel 16 (the District 11 Channel) in time for parents to make plans for the day.
You can check for delays/closures on the D-11 Web site at www.d11.org and/or Comcast Channel 16 and/or call 520-2000 or 520-2300 for a recorded message. You can also sign up to receive an e-mail notification about delays and/or closures! Go to www.d11.org and click on D-11 Answers on the left side navigation bar or click the question mark on the top right corner of your screen. When you get into D-11 Answers, click on "My Account." If you already have an account, log in; if not, create a new account. Once logged in, you will see your “User Details.” Under “Notification Groups,” click “EDIT.” Enter your contact information and select which notifications you would like to receive. Click “Submit” to save your changes.
Please remember: You as a parent make the
final decision concerning the safety of your child. If you think conditions
are unsafe when the district keeps schools open, you may keep your child at
home. Your child's absence will be excused, and all work can be made up
without penalty.
If you have further questions about how inclement weather decisions are made, please use D-11 Answers to submit your questions. A District 11 staff person will get back to you within the week.
Thank you.
Dr. Terry N. Bishop
Superintendent of Schools
EBCD-R Weather Related Emergencies
EBCE-R School Closings and Cancellations
EBCE-E School Closings and Cancellations Exhibit
EBCE-E-sp Procedimiento Para El Mal Tiempo