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804 SCHOOL CLOSING PROCEDURE

A. When School is in Session: 1. And weather conditions become severe enough to make regular dismissal hazardous, the building principal will check weather and road conditions and make his/her recommendation regarding dismissal to the superintendent. The superintendent shall make the final decision regarding early dismissal. The criterion to dismiss early shall be the safety of students and employees. In the event that the superintendent is not available, the decision to close early shall be made by the principal. 2. When the decision to dismiss early is made, the administration office will notify the mechanic/driver in regard to time and any other pertinent information. If possible, the decision to dismiss early will be made by 12:00 noon. 3. Students are to remain in their classrooms until they are dismissed and the buses arrive. Teachers will remain in their classrooms with these students. Teachers who are not responsible for a class when the emergency is declared shall monitor the hallways and other parts of the building to insure that all students leave the building and to promote an orderly dismissal. Employees are to remain at the school until dismissed by the principal. Under no circumstances will school activities be held without the expressed approval of the principal when school has been dismissed early. 4. When weather conditions are such that some or all of the buses are not able to drive all or part of their regular routes, students affected will remain in their classrooms. In the event the students are returned to school, they are required to report to the office. 5. Immediately after it is determined that a bus emergency exists, a complete accounting of all detained students will be submitted to the office. The school cook will report to the principal's office and prepare appropriate menus. The principal will report to the superintendent's office any medical problems and the arrangements for living conditions such as sanitation and sleeping accommodations. The principal is also responsible for establishing a suitable routine of activities to accommodate the students and staff detained and to ensure that there is proper supervision of students at all times. 6. Teachers shall be responsible for those students in their classrooms. In the event they have no students in their classrooms, they are to report to the principal's office for assignment. B. When School is Not in Session 1. When school is not in session and weather conditions become severe enough to make transportation hazardous, the mechanic/driver will make a recommendation regarding school closing to the superintendent. The superintendent shall make the final decision. The criterion to close school shall be the safety of students and employees. In the event the superintendent is not available, the decision to close school shall be made by the principal. If neither the superintendent nor the principal is available, the mechanic/driver will make the final decision. In NORTHOME, when the decision to close school is made, the mechanic/driver will confer with the administration and then the calling tree system goes into effect wherein each employee calls the people assigned to him/her on the current calling chart (tree). In INDUS, the principal notifies the drivers directly and otherwise fulfills the functions herein assigned to the mechanic/driver in Northome. The principal also will notify the head cook, head custodian, secretary, and radio station(s) serving the immediate area as soon as the decision is made, preferably before 7:00 a.m. 2. Custodian, mechanic, and secretarial personnel are expected to report to their respective buildings when the weather becomes such that roads are passable, and they can arrive safely. Teachers, cooks, aides, and bus drivers are not expected to report unless requested to by administration. Classified employees see Article VIII Section 8. C. Cold Weather Policy School will be closed by administrative decision.

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