Student safety is the primary concern of the Superintendent when making the decision to close schools due to weather conditions.

Several factors are taken into consideration:

Is the wind chill -20 degrees or colder?
Will the wind chill stay that low for an extended period of time?
Will the temperature be below zero for an extended period of time?
Is there blowing and drifting snow with winds of 20 miles per hour or more?
Is there or will there be a heavy accumulation of snow?
Are streets and sidewalks clear?
Are buses unable to run due to extreme cold or unplowed streets?
Are driving conditions hazardous?
Are there power or phone outages?

In considering these factors, District officials monitor the weather forecast, consult with the City of Rochester Department of Public Works, and physically observe road and sidewalk conditions. The Superintendent of Schools makes the final decision on whether to close schools.

Closings Announced Via the News

If the decision is made to close schools, the District will notify local T.V. and radio stations by 6:00 a.m. Parents are encouraged to watch and listen to local news reports for announcements about school closings.

When possible, information will also be posted here on the District’s website.

Please do not call your child’s school, the Transportation Department, or the District’s Central Office during weather emergencies. When weather conditions are extreme, the school telephone system is needed to attend to operational issues and emergency matters.

When city public schools are closed, no transportation will be provided to any schools or programs served by the City School District.

Parents’ Responsibility

If schools remain open during inclement weather, it is the responsibility of parents to decide if it is safe for their children to travel their usual routes to school.

Closing School Early

If it becomes necessary to close schools early on a given day, an announcement will be made on local T.V. and radio stations. School personnel will not leave their buildings until all students are provided transportation home and walkers are dismissed.

In some cases, it may be determined that it is safer to have students remain in school rather than to dismiss them early. This reduces the likelihood that students who are picked up by their parents will be without safe transportation home and that young children will arrive home without an adult in the house.

Make-up Days

In accordance with New York State law, school must be held a minimum of 180 days each school year.

If emergency closings cause the number of instructional days to fall below the minimum, make-up days will be held in the following order:

May 22, 2008
March 20, 2008
April 11, 2008

Parents and families will be notified if make-up days are scheduled.

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