Coweta Schools post Inclement Weather Procedures

From Coweta County Schools Press Release

The Coweta County School System wants to remind parents and the community of the procedures that schools and the school system follow in the event of severe weather conditions throughout the school year.

During severe weather watches or warnings, the school system works with local authorities to monitor conditions and proceeds with arrival and dismissal based upon known conditions.  Weather conditions change rapidly, and adjustments are made as needed.

In the event that schools are delayed, closed or released early, there are a variety of ways that the school system notifies parents, including:

• Automated phone call (OneCallNow)
• Remind and school text services
• Media outlets (television, radio and media websites)
• District website (www.cowetaschools.net)
• Facebook and Twitter (@CowetaSchools)

Parents are urged to make sure that their child’s school has their latest emergency contact information, including new phone numbers, and home and work phone numbers, so that they can be contacted during such events.  You can do so by contacting your child’s school.

In the event of severe weather, a determination will be made each day on whether to cancel school operations, delay the start of the school day, or watch for the need to close school early, based on developing safety and travel conditions, the possibility of power outages at our schools, and other factors.  Once a determination is made, the school system will notify parents and the community about the next day’s status.

The school system tries to make such determinations as quickly as possible, but storm severity, weather arrival and anticipated travel conditions can be difficult to assess.  If the school system cannot make a final determination on the evening before a school day, a determination early the following morning is necessary.  Notices are typically placed on the system’s website (cowetaschools.net) that the school system is continuing to evaluate conditions.  The school system will notify parents immediately once a determination to close or delay school is made.

In the event of a school delay, the system will notify parents of the length of the delay.  For a delay of two hours, for example, parents and students should assume that all normal school procedures are delayed two hours.  Bus pick-up is two hours from usual times (at 9 or 9:30 a.m., for example, though parents should anticipate the possibility of some delay).  School classes will also start two hours later (at 10 and 10:30 a.m. for example), though school dismissal times would remain the same (2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.).

Other weather-related contingencies or tips include:

• In the case of severe winds or tornado warnings that occur when buses are en route, buses are re-routed to the nearest school sites and shelter in place.  Buses may also use fire stations, if needed.  Once a tornado warning has been lifted, and conditions are safe, bus service will resume.
• Parents of bus riders should also be aware that extremely cold morning temperatures can cause delays on morning routes.  A severe storm watch may also cause delays.  Our transportation department works to pick up students as quickly as possible during these conditions. 
• Steps parents can take include ensuring children are dressed as warmly as possible during the winter months and remaining with children until they are picked up when extreme weather conditions exist.
• It is important that parents update their emergency contact information with their child’s school, including home and work phone numbers for our calling system.  Please take the time to update that information with your child’s school if needed. 
• In the event of school delay or closure, online classes will likely be delayed or cancelled as well, since the weather conditions will likely affect staff operations or connectivity.  Schools will notify students and parents of online as well as face-to-face status.
• In the case of prolonged closure, schools may employ a number of methods through which parents or students can stay abreast of school work and assignments through the school system’s Google classroom resources Empower online education site..