Hazardous Travel and Work Attendance

Determination of School Closure

On days when it is deemed that necessary action should be taken to alter normal operation procedures (delayed opening, school closures, altered transportation, work schedules) because of weather or road conditions, a determination to that effect will be made by the Superintendent before 5:00 a.m. If the action taken constitutes an emergency school closure and students are directed not to report, or if the conditions occur on an in-service day, the following procedures will be employed:

Notification

Selected Anchorage radio and television stations will be notified and will carry information on the status of delay in opening, school closure, transportation changes, or changes in the normal work schedule. Principals, administrators and the primary secretary will be requested to report to work early in their buildings so that they can assist with telephone inquiries regarding weather conditions, the status of school opening time, school closure and determination of the need for substitutes. The Administration Building main telephone line will carry a message on a recording encouraging the caller to listen to the radio, or call the local school for the latest information.

Attendance Rules: Delayed Start Days Only

Teaching Staff

Teachers will report for duty at their regular times and be prepared to supervise students whose parents may not hear of the change in schedule and deliver their children at the normal time.

Non-Teaching Staff

All other staff will also report for duty at regular times.

When a member of the school staff, excluding principals, is absent because of weather conditions when schools are open and the supervisor acknowledges that travel to the work place is hazardous, the absence will be charged as follows:

1. The employee may elect to be paid for the day by submitting a leave request which will be charged to annual leave or if unutilized compensatory time has been accrued, that may be used.
2. If the employee has no annual leave days accrued or does not wish to charge the day to annual leave, the absent day will be unpaid.
3. Supervisors and principals will allow ACE and TOTEM employees to utilize flexible scheduling to make up work missed.

Attendance Rules: School Closure Days Only

Teaching Staff

On emergency closure days for schools, teachers report to alternative work sites of individual choice. Since normal service to students cannot be provided due to circumstances beyond the control of teachers, other duties may be undertaken in any appropriate location. Alternate sites of individual choice may include homes if it is the professional judgment of individual teachers that homes are the appropriate places in which to perform their duties under emergency conditions. Unless otherwise announced, schools will reopen on the following day and teaching staff should report to their normal work locations.

Please note: State regulations allow us to declare in-service and emergency closure days to be “days in session”, up to a total of ten (10) per year. Any closure that occurs after the exhaustion of those ten (10) days, will require an adjustment to the school calendar, in order to meet the statutory requirement for length or the school year.

Non-Teaching Staff

To the extent possible, Building Plant Operators and Principals will attempt to arrive at school earlier than normal when schools are closed. Facilities/Maintenance staff will report as usual.

When support staff arrives within ninety (90) minutes of the normal starting time on days when schools are closed, full credit will be given for the day's attendance. In extenuating circumstances the supervisor may extend the 90-minute guideline.

Substitutes for school support staff should not be dispatched on school closure days. Support staff represented by Totem Association but not regularly assigned to schools are to be treated like school employees during an emergency school closure which affects all schools. Totem-represented employees are expected to report for work unless they judge that conditions are hazardous, in which case they may elect to take leave, use unutilized compensatory time or arrange with their supervisors to make-up lost time at a later date within the school year.

Custodial employees are expected to report for duty when schools are closed. All Facilities/Maintenance staff are expected to report for duty when schools are closed.

The procedures listed above for non-teaching staff do not apply to the following employee groups. The following employee groups should not report when students are not in attendance:

1. Bus Drivers will be called by the Automated System by 5:30 a.m.
2. Bus Attendants
3. Student Nutrition Employees Working in School Buildings
4. Crossing Guards and Noon Duty Attendants

Typical Media Announcements

The following announcements are typical of the notification to be given to the media by Public Affairs.

Delayed Start

“All Anchorage public schools will open one hour later than normal today due to weather and road conditions. School buses are operating one hour later than the normal schedule. All school district employees will report for duty at their regular time.”

Schools Closed

“All Anchorage public schools are closed today due to weather and road conditions. Employees should follow emergency closure procedures for their building or department. Unless otherwise announced, schools will reopen tomorrow” (or on Monday if closure occurs on Friday).

All District Facilities Closed

“All Anchorage public schools and support facilities are closed today due to weather and road conditions. Emergency staff only are to report for duty, including all Facilities and Maintenance staff. Unless otherwise announced, schools will reopen tomorrow” (or on Monday if closure occurs on Friday).

Revised 9/2002