Closings/Delays

Our first and foremost consideration is the safety of our students and staff. We take a number of steps to ensure they have a safe trip to and from school. Many factors go into the determination of whether to hold school:

• Monitoring Current Conditions & Forecasts—Prior to a storm, district personnel monitor forecasts & live radar images to help determine if a weather system is likely to impact the current conditions. For example: If there is six inches of “powder” snow on the ground & the forecast predicts high winds, this could cause visibility problems.
• Personnel on the Street—District personnel drive our district"s streets to determine the actual conditions. If a storm occurs during the night or in the early morning, Support Services personnel begin monitoring actual conditions between 2:30 & 3:30 a.m. and continue throughout the early morning hours. District personnel also clear lots & sidewalks, sand & salt as necessary.
• Ability to Clear Pathways—We take into consideration whether we will be able to clear school sidewalks & parking lots—is there too much snow to clear in a timely fashion, or is snow continuing to accumulate at a rate in which it cannot be cleared adequately?
• Monitoring Temperature—We take into account the temperature & wind chill, both to determine air temperature safely, but also to determine the possibility of changing road conditions.
• Visibility—Visibility is monitored; if blowing snow causes poor visibility this could be a factor in a cancellation.
• Coordination of Sources—All of these factors are taken into consideration & a decision is made through communication & data input from many sources.
• The decision to call off or delay school will be made by 5:00 a.m. in order to notify district personnel.

Parents should keep in mind that in addition to the precautions taken by the school district to monitor conditions, on days when the decision is made to have school, parents have full support and authority to determine if it is unsafe for their children to travel to/from school or if a delay in getting to school is appropriate, what form of transportation the student will use including by car. If parents decide to keep their student home or will take them to school later, principals will work with them in these situations.

Plan A - School Closing

All schools serviced by the CPCSC will be closed, including our child care locations. It is possible students may engage in distance learning from home. Students do not to report to school. Building principals will report to their respective schools as soon as safety will allow in order to check building security and to give directions to custodial personnel on snow removal, extra cleaning/maintenance assignments, etc. Coordinators, directors, teachers, clerical, paraprofessionals, aides, nurses, cafeteria staff, and bus drivers do not report to their respective schools. Building custodians, technicians and maintenance staff (day or night) are to report to their respective work areas as assigned by the Director of Buildings and Grounds as soon as safety will allow. Twelve-month Central Office staff will report as soon as safety will allow. Indiana requires 180 student days; make-up days for school closings are added to the end of the school year. 

Plan B- School Delay

All bus drivers and schools will start their day one (1) or two (2) hours later than usual. If there is a delay of two (2) hours, morning kindergarten classes will be canceled. 

• Afternoon kindergarten classes will report at the normal time.
• School dismissal will be at the regular time.
•  School lunches will be served.
• All administrators, clerical, media, nurses, cafeteria, maintenance, and custodial personnel will report to their respective schools as close to regular starting times as safety will allow. Teachers and instructional/ Chapter I aides are to report to school in adequate time to prepare for the instructional day.

Plan C- Emergency Dismissal

Weather, mechanical breakdown or other unforeseeable emergency may sometimes call for early or emergency dismissal. Each parent should be sure that his/her child is instructed where to go in the event it is necessary for the child to arrive home early. A mechanical breakdown in one school need not affect regular dismissal of the remaining schools in the corporation.

If school buildings are closed and a distance learning day is appropriate, the protocols below will be used for distance learning. 

1. To be prepared for an emergency cancellation, students (K-12) are expected to take their laptop device with charger home daily.
2. Teachers will post agenda in Buzz for students:
   • Secondary teachers will post the day’s BUZZ activities by 9:00 a.m. 
   • Elementary teachers will post the day’s BUZZ activities by 10:00 a.m. 
   • The posting may include a message to ‘Please check later’ or ‘The agenda will be posted by ___’ allowing teachers to prepare, record instruction, or resolve technology problems. 
3. If a teacher is having internet connection problems or power loss, students and parents will be notified by alternate messaging from the school office.   
4. Students are expected to complete assigned work by the posted due date on the distance learning day. 
5. If students are experiencing internet connection problems or power loss, 3 days will be allowed for submission of assignments. 
6. The distance learning day will be asynchronous. Activities will be assigned to review or practice previously taught content OR to introduce new content. ‘Live’ or ‘synchronous’ meetings may be offered by teachers. Student attendance in the live meetings is optional. 
7. Office hours are designated in Buzz as an a.m. and/or p.m. block within these time frames to monitor, interact, or provide feedback.
   • Crown Point High School 9:00am - 2:45pm
   • Middle Schools 9:00am -2:55pm 
   • Elementary Schools  10:00am -3:44pm
8. For additional student support, interventionists and paraprofessionals may monitor, interact, or provide feedback.
9. On distance learning days the student is counted absent if there is no evidence by the start of the next school day of any of the following: course progress, optional participation in virtual class meetings, participation on assigned instruction, system activity and login times, and completion of daily work and/or long-term projects. Students will not be counted absent if they are experiencing  internet connection problems or power loss. 

Chromebook Repair and Support

• Students needing help with the RDS Log-in or the Buzz Button inside RDS will complete the CPCSC Support Form.
• Students having issues with one of their courses on Buzz should contact their teacher directly.

Child Care

• Child care is not available if buildings are closed because of an emergency.

Exceptional Education

• Speech/Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy
  • Services that fall on a distance learning day may be provided through an online activity, teletherapy, or made up at a later date.
• Resource Services
  • Accommodations are available to students via their Buzz assignments. 
  • Intervention activities will be available, if typically provided.
• Self-contained Classes (STARS/ED & Applied Skills)
  • For students using Buzz, daily assignments will be posted.
  • For students who are provided paper instructional materials in   anticipation of a distance learning day, please complete the activities.
• Early Childhood
  • Students should access at-home activities during distance learning days.
  • Teachers will use email communication to inform parents of required activities.

After a major snow storm, some changes in regular routines may be needed. Depending on the severity of the storm, ongoing snow removal efforts may dictate that parents should take additional measures to ensure safe transportation of their students to and from school. When school resumes after a serious snow storm, the district strongly encourages parents to observe the following:

• Please help shovel your child's bus stop. Often the city crews cannot clear street corners. Helping shovel the snow at the bus stop will keep the students off the street while waiting for their bus.

• Assess your child's route to school to determine if they can safely walk. If not, parent's are encouraged to drop-off and pick-up students from school. The process of clearing streets, driveways and parking lots can leave many sidewalks throughout the city impassable. While district crews often work around the clock to clear parking lots and sidewalks around school buildings, it is possible that not all sidewalks will be clear by school time. In addition, the district cannot control sidewalks on private or residential property and cannot clear these pathways even if they are adjacent to the school building.

• Consider driving high school students to school or arrange car pools as there may not be enough parking spaces to accommodate all the students with parking permits. For example, the cleanup of the snowstorm on February 2, 2011 left large piles of snow at the high school which decreased parking lot capacity by approximately 25%.   

• Leave for school 10 - 15 minutes earlier than usual to allow time to negotiate through parking lots that may have substantial piles of snow. Visibility can be reduced, and in the interest of safety, all are encouraged to take their time and drive carefully.

• Encourage your children not to play on large piles of snow in district parking lots or along streets. While large piles of snow mounds created by snow removal efforts are tempting for children, they also pose a safety hazard from sliding/falling into traffic. In addition, snow removal crews may be working to remove snow piles with heavy machinery. Please make your students aware of these dangers and ensure they understand where it is not safe to play.

Thank you for your consideration, patience and assistance in these matters as operations are returned to normal after a winter storm.