Emergency School Closure Procedures

Procedures for changes in normal operation and procedures for canceling bus transportation due to inclement weather

Download printable version of Emergency Closure Procedures

» Click here for Hazardous Travel and Work Attendance Rules

Weather conditions resulting in hazards from flood, snow, ice, freezing rain, or extremely cold temperatures severe enough to interrupt students walking to schools and school bus stops, transporting pupils and staff travel to assigned schools, may result in a delay in starting time or closing of one school, a group of schools or all of the schools, or one or more programs within the district. The following procedure will be used until further notice:

A. The director of Transportation will determine the status of bus operations and road conditions by collecting data from the following sources:

• Anchorage Police Department

• State of Alaska road maintenance department

• Anchorage and Eagle River road maintenance departments

• ASD safety officers and contractor personnel who have driven area roads prior to 4:30 a.m.

• ASD Maintenance Department personnel

• National Weather Service

B. The director of Transportation will call the assistant superintendent for Support Services to report status of bus operations, road and walking conditions. The assistant superintendent will then call the superintendent. The information from the above sources will be analyzed and a decision made from among those listed below:

1. No schools closed:  normal operation.
2. Delayed opening of schools:  Schools will open one hour later than the normal schedule. School buses will run one hour later than the normal schedule. All staff report at usual time if safety permits. 
3. Schools only closed:  Teachers may report to alternative work sites of individual choice, provided the missed school day does not have to be made up. If teachers will be required to make up the emergency school closure day, AEA members will be notified on or before the closure day that it is a non-working, non-paid day.
4. Custodial staff report; facilities/maintenance staff report; other support staff report as specified in appropriate contract. 

Please note: State regulations allow us to declare in-service and emergency closure days to be "days in session" up to a total of 10 per year. Eight of those days are used for in-service days leaving only two days for unexpected closures. Any additional closure that occurs after the exhaustion of those two days will require an adjustment to the school calendar in order to meet the statutory requirement for length of the school year.

5. All district facilities closed: Emergency staff only report, including all facilities/maintenance staff. Designated emergency staff members have been identified at each school.

C. If the assistant superintendent for Support Services is unable to contact the superintendent, then the assistant superintendent and the director of Transportation will confer and make the decision.

D. All coordination should be completed by 4:30 a.m. The final decision for a change in normal operation will be made by the superintendent no later than 5 a.m. The superintendent will confirm any change in normal operation with the leadership team.

E. All closings or changes in normal operation are to be reported to radio and television stations in the Anchorage area by the executive director of Communications starting immediately after notification by the superintendent. Notification should be completed approximately 20-30 minutes after Communications is alerted. Public announcements should start no later than 5:30 a.m.

Update information will also be available on: The ASD Website:  www.asdk12.org ASD-TV Channel 14 www.twitter.com/asd_closures www.facebook.com/AnchorageSchoolDistrict main switchboard: 742-4000

F.  If weather and road conditions change after 4:30 a.m. or during morning routes, Transportation department and contractor personnel will immediately notify the director of Transportation who will call the assistant superintendent for Support Services to report the status of bus operations and road conditions. The assistant superintendent will then call the superintendent. The new information will be analyzed and a decision made to delay the start of school or cancel classes at a school, a group of schools, or all schools. The updated information will be made available using the resources listed above.

G. The executive director of Human Resources will notify substitute dispatch and the AEA President. The assistant superintendent for Support Services will notify Student Nutrition of changes in normal operation.

Similar procedures are in effect on non-student days. The content of messages relayed over selected radio stations will be edited appropriately if changes in normal operation occur on an in-service day.

Reviewed 09/2011