Dear Students, Families, and Staff:
When weather conditions are severe, the Evansville Community School District follows a set of guidelines for determining if schools should be closed. The District will base a decision on what is best for all students. Individual family circumstances may vary. We encourage and strongly support you in making a decision that is best for your child(ren). You are always the best judge of your family’s health and safety.
Process for determining school closure due to severe weather:
- Information is gathered from multiple local and state weather forecasts.
- The District Administrator, Director of Building and Grounds, Ringhand Bus Company, and the Rock County Sheriff's Department determine if roads are safe for student travel.
- The District Administrator consults with other local School District Administrators.
Extreme cold:
When the National Weather Service issues a wind chill warning for Rock County during the school day, school will be closed. Schools will not necessarily be closed if there is a wind chill advisory for the county, but cancellation will be considered when an advisory shows temperatures may reach -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
School closings notification:
We make every effort to have a final decision prior to 6:30 a.m. We then communicate this decision to local news outlets, post information on our website (www.ecsdnet.org), through an automated phone call and in an email to all families. At times, we will post to social media, our website and news/radio stations prior to calls going out to families as we try not to place phone calls prior to 6 am.
After school activities when school is closed:
When Evansville schools are closed for the day, it also means that all activities scheduled in school buildings for that day are canceled. This includes all programs and all after school activities. Exceptions may be made based on changes in weather conditions.
Late starts and early dismissal during severe weather:
We try to start school on time and keep school open until the regular dismissal time if road conditions are safe. However, if you feel your child(ren) will be safer at home, it is up to your discretion to determine their attendance. Please notify the school office if absent, dropping off late or picking up early. If there is a 2-hour delay, there will not be morning 4K. Afternoon 4K will proceed as scheduled.
When schools are closed for other reasons:
When we close schools for reasons other than severe weather, a notification will be sent to local news outlets, a posting on our website (www.ecsdnet.org), through an automated phone call and in an email to all families. Depending on the circumstances for closing/delay, the District may limit information that is released to the public. Please know, the only reason this would be done would be to keep our top priority, the students, safe.
The safety of every child is our highest priority. We appreciate your understanding and your support when school closing decisions are made.
Sincerely,
Jerry Roth
District Administrator
Evansville Community School District
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