WCS Inclement Weather Policy
Published December 3, 2009
Parents of Williamson County Schools students will be contacted by phone and email if schools are closed due to hazardous travel conditions. The district’s phone notification system continues to be used by the school district and individual schools to notify parents of school closings and other important information.
“While the local media will also broadcast closing information, we want our parents to know that we will contact them directly,” said Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney. “The phone notification system is a communication tool that allows us to reach parents quickly either at home or at work.”
If school is closed overnight, parents and staff can expect to receive a phone call at home early in the morning.
“We will try to call parents and staff members by 9 p.m. if school will be cancelled the next day,” said Looney. “If that is not possible, the district will begin calling homes as early as 5:30 in the morning the day school is closed.”
Parents will only be called at the main number on file with the school in the morning or evening. If school is dismissed during the day, parents will receive calls at all of the phone numbers on file with the school. An email address must also be in the school’s database to receive the email notification.
“It is essential for parents to make sure their child’s school has the correct contact information on file,” said Looney.
In addition, school closing information will still be available on the Williamson County Schools cable access channels, Comcast 3, Charter 96, AT & T 99 and local radio station WAKM AM 950. School closing information can also be found on the school district web site, www.wcs.edu, by selecting School Delays/Closings on the home page, and many Nashville area television stations will also broadcast school closings and early dismissal information.
In Middle Tennessee, any type of inclement weather, including snow, ice and flooding, can cause schools to close.
“The decision to close school will be made as early as possible to allow parents time to make alternate arrangements,” said Transportation Director John Hancock. “We have spotters located across the district who keep an eye on road conditions throughout the day and night, but the Superintendent makes the final decision to close school.”
Hancock said the decision to call off school is not an easy one but that the safety of the students is the deciding factor. “Our whole system is based on safely transporting each child,” said Hancock. “The district has studied using alternate routes when weather conditions are not ideal, but we have found that this is not a safe option in our county.”
Since Williamson is a large county with many rural roads, hazardous conditions in one part of the county may close the entire district. When schools are closed due to weather, events are automatically cancelled at the elementary and middle schools. The cancellation of high school events is determined at the school site, and individual schools will share that information with students and parents.
The district has 10 inclement weather days built into the 2009-10 calendar. Any additional days missed would be rescheduled.