Harbor Creek Senior High School issued the following announcement on Nov. 12.
Who Decides?
The Superintendent is required by law to ensure that the schools are open on all scheduled days unless conditions are unsafe for students. Consequently, the Superintendent must decide if conditions warrant a change in the normal schedule.
When is the Decision Made?
When extreme weather conditions are forecast, the decision is sometimes made the preceding evening in order to give parents additional time to make necessary arrangements for their children. However, under normal circumstances, the process of gathering relevant information begins at approximately 3:30 a.m. Every effort is made to make decisions regarding delays and cancellations by 5:30 a.m. Please remember the Harbor Creek School District covers 34 square miles and weather conditions may vary greatly throughout the District. The decision to change the District schedule is not made lightly.
Who Provides Relevant Information?
• District’s Transportation Manager
• Penn State Behrend School of Science – used for temperature and wind chill (https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-science/weather), Weather Channel (https://weather.com/), Weather Underground (https://www.wunderground.com),National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: www.noaa.gov
• The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, and NOAA are rated highest for forecast accuracy.
• School personnel in surrounding school districts, when appropriate
• Harborcreek Township Personnel
What are the Primary Reasons for a Delay or Cancellation?
• Extreme cold temperatures that could be unsafe for students.
• Road conditions that are too dangerous for the school buses to travel.
What are the Guidelines Regarding Extreme Cold?
• According to the National Weather Service, no specific rules exist for determining when wind chill becomes dangerous. However, the threshold for potentially dangerous wind chill conditions is about -20°F.
• If the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory and wind chill predictions are for temperatures of -20° or colder at 5:30 a.m., a delay may be called.
• Note that there may be warmer or cooler areas within the District. The -20°F wind chill guideline is a threshold at which point a delay will be considered. The District relies on the available temperature reports which may not reflect the conditions at your location.
What is the Critical Question Regarding the Safety of the Roads?
The critical question is: Can school buses traveling at safe speeds get students to school safely and reasonably “on time?” The question is not: Is it snowing or are some roads slippery? That answer could be yes, but that does not always mean that buses cannot travel safely.
• If the conditions are drivable at 5:30 a.m. when the bus drivers arrive to start bus preparations and there is not an impending forecast of snow corroborated with weather radar, transportation operations will begin.
• School will be delayed or cancelled if road conditions are such that travel is too hazardous for vehicles.
• School cancellation will be considered if travel delays are expected to be so great that staff cannot reach the buildings in order to teach students or students will be out at bus stops for an excessive amount of time.
Note: If an unexpected squall or lake effect snow band arises once transportation of students begins, it is usually not possible to cancel or delay bus runs in progress. In this instance, the buses will travel slowly or even stop temporarily if necessary until conditions improve.
How Does the School District Communicate the Delay or Cancellation?
Each time a decision to delay or cancel school is made, the following stations are notified: WICU, WJET, WSEE. Please be aware the District has no control when our local media broadcasts announcements related to school delays or closures. The District website (www.hcsd.iu5.org) will display the status of the delay or cancellation, as well as follow the District’s Twitter feed @HCSDHuskies and facebook feed as www.facebook.com/HCSDHuskies. Additionally, the District will utilize a rapid phone notification system, which will call a home and cellular telephones in order to notify families of a delay or cancellation. You may either receive a text or a phone call. The rapid phone notification system will be used no later than 11:00 p.m. and no earlier than 6:00 a.m. Please obtain information from these sources.
Delays
Please refrain from bringing students to school early when the District is operating with a delay. Faculty and staff may also be delayed arriving at school.
School Closure
All before, during, and after school events will be cancelled.
Aren’t the Buses Cold in the Morning During Extreme Weather?
No. When the temperatures are extreme, the school district mechanics report to work as early as 3:30 a.m. to start the buses and warm them up to a safe operational temperature before departure.
What about an Unscheduled Early Dismissal?
In the event of a rare early dismissal, high school and middle school students will be sent home first, followed by elementary students. This is designed to help parents/ guardians in their planning so that an adult or older child may be in the home before the elementary child arrives home. Unscheduled early dismissals will be communicated through the District website and our rapid phone notification system.
What Decision Should Parents Make?
Parents always have the responsibility for making decisions that are in the best interest of the health and safety of their own children. This includes decisions about sending a child to school when conditions are questionable.
The Superintendent will make a decision in the best interest of the District at large. While it is important to have students in school, on time, every scheduled day, the safety of each child is paramount. As the District makes every effort to preserve instructional time for its students, parents are urged to make the appropriate decision based on their own situation in order to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of their child.
Original source can be found here.
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