November 18, 2020
As the winter season approaches, we are providing you with information regarding how we will respond as a school district to inclement weather. This information will include our updated plan and notification process should we need to close or delay the start of the school day.
As you are likely aware, each year we build multiple snow days into our calendar to address situations where school is delayed or closed due to inclement weather. Even though our school district has provided a majority of our students with 1:1 devices (chromebooks) that allow them to access school remotely, we continue to bring a number of our students into school for face-to-face instruction during virtual learning. The reason behind this action is that not all students have a device or access to the internet, and some students have significant educational needs that require face to face assistance during instruction. Given these realities, the Oconto Falls Public Schools will implement snow days similar to how we’ve addressed them in the past. Simply said, a snow day will still be a snow day and students and staff will not be required to attend school. This will avoid situations of a number of students and staff on hazardous roads due to implementing virtual learning as a result of inclement weather.
If the number of snow days becomes excessive, we will consider implementing modified virtual learning days in place of snow days. In this situation, we would communicate this change in snow day procedures ahead of time and share the specifics of how we would provide virtual instruction from home (for both students and staff).
For our parents and guardians, you can see, it is very important that you verify your contact information is correct in the Skyward system and that settings are correct for how you wish to receive school closing information. This is especially important if you have moved or changed your phone number since setting up your skyward account.
In situations where we are experiencing inclement weather, please remember to monitor local news/media outlets as they will be provided with information relative to school delays/closures. We will also contact families through our Skylert system and post this information on our district facebook page. When the situation allows, we will make the determination regarding school closing or delay the night before. However, we often need to drive the roads to determine road conditions and in those circumstances we will make the decision and notify families no later than 6:00 a.m. the day of the closing.
It is important to note that parents/guardians always have the option to keep their children home in situations of inclement weather. In these situations we ask that you call your child’s school to let them know of your decision.
Sincerely,
Dean R. Hess
Superintendent of Schools