Dear Parents/Guardians,
During this winter season, Berea Independent School District is committed to your child’s education, safety, and well-being. Please read the information below regarding procedures for inclement weather in Berea Independent.
How Can I Be Prepared?
Unpredictable winter weather may necessitate Berea Independent Schools to alter daily schedules or routines within the district. Please make sure your student has up-to-date phone numbers and emergency contacts for your family in Infinite Campus. Please ensure you receive our district Thrillshare/Apptegy messages and contact your student’s school directly if you need to be added.
How Will the Decision to Cancel School Be Made?
Berea Independent Schools has a dedicated team working tirelessly during potential weather threats to make decisions regarding school closures, always keeping the safety of our students and staff as the top priority.
As early as possible, if snow, freezing rain, sleet, or other dangerous precipitation is present, the Berea Independent Schools Transportation Department, the Director of Pupil Personnel, and the Superintendent set out to inspect the road conditions. They drive designated routes, checking roadways that are typically the most high-risk when covered with some type of precipitation. The team considers safe travel not only on streets but sidewalks, parking lots, and bus turnarounds. Other conditions considered include the outside temperature, road temperature, wind chill, and the amount of precipitation that has fallen or is predicted to fall. Once enough information is gathered, the team focuses on one question: Is it safe to transport students in a school bus in current or predicted conditions?
When we are impacted by inclement weather, the district has four (4) choices:
NO School - Traditional Snow Day
Non-Traditional Instruction Day - NTI Day
Early Dismissal
Delayed Arrival
If a decision cannot be made the night before, the inclement weather team will do their best to decide by 5:00 AM.
How Will School Cancellations Be Communicated?
Once a decision is made, the notification process begins. Our goal is to notify families as quickly as possible to give adequate time for alternative childcare arrangements to be made. Families will be notified through the following means of communication:
Thrillshare/Apptegy: A phone call will be sent via our phone notification system. The phone number used to contact families is pulled through Infinite Campus.
Website: A “page pop” will be added to the Berea Independent School District website: https://www.berea.kyschools.us/
Social Media: Information will be posted on the district Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.
What Does Instruction Look Like During an NTI Day?
The goal for each Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) Day is for continuous learning to happen for our students even during inclement weather or emergency situations when school cannot be in session.
NTI Days are counted as regular school days and are not made up on the school calendar, unless we use more than ten (10) NTI Days. If this happens, adjustments to the school calendar will be communicated with parents as soon as possible.
Schools will NOT be open for regular business, BUT each school will have specific guidelines on what learning will look like for the day.
What Are the Procedures If School is Dismissed Early?
If we have to dismiss school early due to inclement weather, the decision will be made as early as possible to allow families time to make arrangements for pick-up, if applicable, and/or childcare.
School buses will run regular afternoon routes to deliver students home safely. After-school and evening activities are cancelled unless an announcement is made otherwise.
Decisions about making up the time missed will be made on a case-by-case basis in accordance with state guidelines.
Berea Independent School District will always make decisions to ensure the safety of our students and staff. In inclement weather, parents/guardians will make the final decision on whether to allow their student driver to drive to school based on the roadway conditions.
Sincerely,
Administration
Berea Independent Schools