Dear
parents/guardians:
Temperatures are falling and with that comes wintery weather. The Union R-XI School District recognizes the challenges that result from school being canceled due to inclement weather. As such, we want to share some information to keep you informed about our district's procedures for school closings and delays due to weather.
In the case of inclement weather:
1).
The district administration will make a decision as soon as we can. In general, school officials will not cancel school based on a forecast. However, there are occasional instances where decisions could be made when inclement weather appears to be inevitable.
2). When possible, the decision to cancel school may be made the night before, usually by 9:00 pm. However, in most situations, a decision isn’t made until the following morning. An early morning decision is typically made by 5:00 a.m. A decision to cancel school will be shared in the following ways: automated phone call, email, text, notification through our mobile app, district social media sites, and local news television stations.
3). In the event we need to have an early dismissal once students have already arrived at school, we will use the same communication means as listed above.
4). In order to receive the above listed communications, you’ll need to ensure your Campus Parent Portal has been updated in addition to opting into receiving district text messages. If you have questions about updating your Parent Portal, please contact your child’s school.
As we look ahead, we ask that all parents/guardians:
1). Create a plan for unexpected school closures and share the plan with your student. School cancellations due to weather are unavoidable and will happen at some point.
2). Please watch our district website, mobile app, and social media pages for information related to school closures. We will post periodic updates about the decision making process. We will not respond to questions submitted on social media asking if we plan to have school.
3). Recognize that snow itself rarely closes school. Snow in the forecast is not our primary concern. Rather, safety, visibility, road conditions, ice build-up, and the status of plowing are more important issues to consider. In addition, the capability of our staff to safely travel to school and for our custodial/maintenance departments to clear sidewalks and parking lots have a large impact on our ability to have school.
As always, the highest priority for our district is the safety of our students and staff, for whom we will always err on the side of caution. We appreciate your understanding as we focus on doing what’s best for both our students and staff.