From WCS inFocus
Cooler weather is here, which means it’s time to remind parents and students of the district’s inclement weather policy.
Parents of students attending Williamson County Schools will receive school closing notifications on their phone and email, in addition to the information being posted on the district’s website, mobile app and social media accounts.
Parents will be contacted by phone and email if schools are closed due to hazardous travel conditions. The district’s phone notification system continues to be used by the school district and individual schools to notify parents of school closings and other important information.
In addition, parents, students and staff may download the district’s mobile app and follow the school district’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts to receive the district’s school closing information.
“We will continue to put the safety of our students and staff first,” said Superintendent Jason Golden. “When there is a closure or delay due to inclement weather, we will use all of our communication tools to alert the public.”
If the decision to close school is made overnight, parents and staff can expect to receive a phone call at home early in the morning.
“We try to make the decision as early as possible, with the goal of calling parents and staff members by 9 p.m. if school will be canceled the next day,” said Golden. “Sometimes that is not possible, and if that’s the case, the district will begin calling homes as early as 5 a.m. the day school is closed.”
Parents will receive a call at the primary number listed in Family Access in the morning or evening. If school is dismissed during the day, parents will receive calls at all of the phone numbers listed in Family Access. An email address must also be in the school’s database to receive the email notification.
“It is important for parents to make sure the school has the correct contact information on file,” said Golden. “That is especially critical if we must close school early.”
In addition, school closing information will be available on the district website and through local media outlets.
In Middle Tennessee, any type of inclement weather, including snow, ice and flooding, can cause schools to close, along with extended power outages.
“We have an excellent transportation staff who work tirelessly to monitor road conditions both night and day,” said Assistant Superintendent of Operations Mark Samuels. “We also work with the County’s Emergency Management office to gather as much information as possible which is used by Superintendent Golden to make the final decision on whether to close school.”
Since Williamson is a large county with many rural roads, hazardous conditions in one part of the county may close the entire district. When schools are closed due to weather, events are automatically canceled at all schools. Superintendent Golden or his designee may make the decision to hold an event at the high school level if conditions have substantially improved during the day.
If parents use extended care at their elementary school, snow day plans will be communicated through that program.
The district has 10 inclement weather days built into the 2019-20 calendar. Any additional days missed would be rescheduled.
