When it comes to inclement weather, our district believes that student safety is the most important factor in our decision of whether or not to hold classes. We also believe it’s important to have our students in the classroom, so we take many steps during the winter months to ensure that it is safe for our students to get to school.
Our process for making the decision
Every morning in the winter, transportation employees arrive early in the morning to start the buses and get them warm for students.
If it’s snowy or icy, district officials will be out driving around Upper Arlington early in the morning to check the condition of the roads.
As far as the impact of temperatures and the wind chill, we generally think about canceling school when the sustained wind chill is around -22 degrees. Keep in mind this is a general guideline and the decision to close or delay school can be impacted by many other factors such as snow, ice and building conditions.
To gather more information about the status of the road crews and streets, we reach out to officials with the City of Upper Arlington and the Upper Arlington Division of Police. We also check in with other districts in our area to inform our decision.
Our Communication Plan
We try to make our decision of whether or not to hold classes as early as possible in the morning, or even the night before, to give our students and families time to make alternate plans for the day.
If we do decide to cancel or delay school, there are several ways you can hear about it from us. First of all, we will use our automated calling system to notify families and all staff members of the cancellation or delay. In addition, we will post notifications on our website; our district
Facebook page; and the
@UA_Schools Twitter accounts. We will also alert the local TV stations and radio stations.
Delayed starts and early closings
Although a two-hour delayed start is a possibility, in our district we use it as sparingly as possible. The same is true for early closings because of inclement weather.
BECS and SACC
If Upper Arlington Schools is closed due to inclement weather, so are Burbank Early Childhood School and our School-Aged Child Care program (SACC) unless we announce otherwise.
If there is a two-hour delayed start, morning SACC sessions will be canceled, but afternoon sessions will be held as usual. Burbank Early Childhood School will also follow a two-hour delay schedule.
After-School Activities
If school is closed due to inclement weather, all activities will be canceled at the elementary and middle schools.
The policy is a little different at the high school, and families will need to watch for additional notification involving after-school activities. If school is closed because of weather, all non-school sponsored activities will be canceled at the high school. No school-sponsored activities will be held before 12 p.m., and at that time, officials from the district and the high school will decide whether or not to hold afternoon and/or evening school-sponsored activities such as athletic competitions, athletic practices and performing arts events.