From WCS inFocus 2018
With the mention of snow in the forecast, 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, Facebook page and Twitter feed.
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 “like” the school district Facebook Page and follow the district on Twitter to receive the district’s school closing information.
“We will continue to contact our parents as quickly as possible based on the weather we are experiencing,” said Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney. “The phone notification system is a communication tool that allows us to reach parents either at home or at work. Our website and social media outlets are other methods we will continue to use to communicate as well.”
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 call parents and staff members by 9 p.m. if school will be canceled the next day, and our parents and staff tell us they appreciate when we can make the decision early,” said Looney. “We will continue to try to call the night before, but if that is not possible, 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.
“I encourage parents to make sure the school has the correct contact information on file,” said Looney. “It 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.
“Our transportation staff monitors road conditions throughout the day and night, and we also work with the County’s Emergency Management office,” said Deputy Superintendent Jason Golden. “The Superintendent makes the final decision to close school based on all the information we can gather.”
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. Dr. Looney 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 2018-19 calendar. Any additional days missed would be rescheduled.
