ALBEMARLE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Decision-Making Inclement Weather Timeline for Procedures School Schedule November 2010 Changes Families who provided a phone number and e-mail address for 2 - 4 a.m.: Transportation our electronic notification service will receive announcements Services Road Assessment Team drives assigned routes about school closings, delayed openings, or early dismissals. You to evaluate conditions and may also call (434) 296-5886 or visit the Albemarle County School hazards for school buses in six sections of the county. Closings web page: www.k12albemarle.org/closings Team monitors weather forecasts and consults with Safety is Priority in Weather-Related School other agencies and localities.

4:30 a.m.: Road Assessment Schedule Changes Team reports to Director of The boundaries of Albemarle County Public Albemarle’s large size and mixture of rural Transportation. Schools cover a large geographical area of and urban settings creates a unique 4:45 a.m.: Director of nearly 750 square miles. Every weekday, challenge for the School Division in Transportation submits 143 buses travel more than 12,000 miles to determining school closings. Roads our recommendation to safely carry our students to and from buses travel range from multi-lane Superintendent. school. When bad weather becomes a highways to narrow dirt roads crossing Superintendent makes factor, the decision to change the school mountains and one-lane bridges. Often schedule is based solely on student safety. final decision on school roads in the urban ring around Charlottesville may be clear while those in operations. The School Division considers four options our more rural areas, such as Hurd’s when bad weather becomes a factor in the 5:15 - 5:30 a.m.: School Mountain, may be inaccessible for a longer school schedule: delaying the opening of Schedule Hotline at period of time following a storm. The school by one hour; delaying the opening of (434) 296-5886 is updated. school by two hours; dismissing school School Division closes when a significant portion of the County’s roads cannot be 6 a.m.: School Division sends early; or canceling school for the day. Decisions to change the school schedule safely navigated by school buses. Families automated announcement take into consideration road conditions for may be contacted by Transportation by phone and e-mail to bus travel and student and staff drivers, Services, usually your child’s bus driver, to parent subscribers of the weather forecasts, and assessments by law identify alternative bus stops during some Electronic School Notification enforcement, the Department of inclement weather conditions.

System and posts Transportation, and other localities. For more details about the School Division’s announcement to the Division website. For every day school is closed due to transportation procedures during inclement inclement weather, a make-up day is used. weather and other important information, By 6 a.m.: Local media Make-up days are included on the reverse please visit the Albemarle County School notified (see reverse side for side of this information sheet and on the Closings web page: list of media sources). 2010-11 school year calendar. www.k12albemarle.org/closings Inclement Weather Procedures November 2010 School Closing Notifications Make-up Days for

Families can learn the status of schools during inclement weather from the following sources: Weather-Related

Albemarle County Public Schools School Closings

• Electronic School Notification System: Parents were provided an opportunity at the start For each day schools are of the school year to sign-up to receive an automatic message from the School Division closed for weather-related by phone (landline or cellular) and/or e-mail. Parents may sign up at any time by reasons, a make-up day is contacting their child’s school. used. Make-up days are • School Closings Web Page: www.k12albemarle.org/closings listed in the Albemarle • School Schedule Hotline: (434) 296-5886 County Public Schools Calendar each school year. Radio Stations This calendar is mailed to WINA-AM 1070 WUVA-FM 92.7 WCYK-FM 99.7 WUMX-FM 107.5 Division families every WCHV-AM 1260 WQMZ-FM 95.1 WHTE-FM 101.9 August. WKAV-AM 1400 WWWV-FM 97.5 WSUH-FM 102.3

Television Stations Make-up days are used in WVAW-16 (ABC) WAHU-27 (FOX) the order listed in the school WCAV-19 (CBS) WVIR-29 (NBC) calendar. The order of make-up days for the Websites 2010-11 school year is: Charlottesville Newsplex: www.newsplex.com/closings Daily Progress: www.dailyprogress.com 1. February 22 NBC 29 WVIR-TV: www.nbc29.com 2. June 13 3. June 14 4. June 15 Questions & Answers 5. June 16 6. June 17 Q: What if the weather worsens Q: What if schools have re-opened but my 7. April 1 unexpectedly while school is in session? road remains a safety hazard? Families are encouraged to A: The School Division may need to keep A: In these instances, parents are create their summer students and school buses on campus encouraged to call Transportation schedules around the until the weather passes. Schools are Services at (434) 973-5716 to request possibility that the last day of among the safest places students can be alternative arrangements to be made school could be postponed to during inclement weather. In fact, many with the school bus driver. Likewise, bus June 17, 2011. of our schools are designated as drivers may contact parents of students emergency shelters for the community residing on any road identified as unsafe during natural disasters. and make alternative arrangements for student pick-up and drop-off. For more answers to frequently asked questions, please visit the School Closings web page: www.k12albemarle.org/closings

For announcements about school closings, delayed openings, or 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville, VA 22902 early dismissals, call (434) 296-5886 or visit the Albemarle County (434) 296-5820 School Closings web page: www.k12albemarle.org/closings www.k12albemarle.org