WCS Inclement Weather Policy

Published December 2, 2010

Again this year, parents of students attending Williamson County Schools 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 the decision to close school is made overnight, parents and staff can expect to receive a phone call at home early in the morning.

“Last year, we tried to call parents and staff members by 9 p.m. if school would be cancelled the next day, and calling early was appreciated by parents and staff alike,” said Looney. “We will continue to try and call the night before, but 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.

“I strongly encourage parents to make sure the school has the correct contact information on file for them. It is especially critical if we must close school early,” 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 front page of the school district web site, www.wcs.edu, just below the Twitter icon, and many Nashville area television stations will also broadcast school closings and early dismissal information. In order to receive WCS tweets, follow the district at twitter.com/wcsedu.

In Middle Tennessee, any type of inclement weather, including snow, ice and flooding, can cause schools to close.

“We have spotters located across the district who keep an eye on road conditions throughout the day and night, and the Superintendent makes the final decision to close school based on all the information we can gather,” said Chief Operations Officer Jason Golden.

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 all schools. Dr. Looney or his designee may make the decision to hold an event at the high school level if conditions have substantially improved during the day.

The district has 10 inclement weather days built into the 2010-11 calendar. Any additional days missed would be rescheduled.