School closings have been recently taking place as inclement weather persists throughout Northeast Ohio. At the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District, protocols and decision making are annually outlined in the event that schools must be closed due to inclement weather or other events that affect school or district operations. Regarding unplanned school closings, the district shares a letter with families each year that outlines the protocols and decision making, said Gina Kevern, director of communications and community engagement. “For the purpose of calamity days, school districts in Ohio operate based on hours of instruction and not on the total number of days closed,” she said. “The district maintains records of closures, which are reviewed and if instructional hours are less than the minimum required by the state due to school closures, the district would have to make arrangements to extend hours of instruction.” The district has not met this threshold at this time, Kevern said. “We are in good shape as a district,” said Superintendent Patrick Ward. “We have roughly eight additional days should we need them. Best case, it gets warm soon.” Meanwhile, at the Wickliffe City School District, the team monitoring the weather includes the superintendent, administrative and supervisory staff. “Decisions to close school are based primarily on the safety and well-being of our students,” said Superintendent Michael Chokshi. “Sometimes impending weather considerations may exist which can cause our schools to close.” Wickliffe currently does not have delayed school openings. “Ohio law requires schools to be in session for a specified number of hours,” Chokshi said. “Any time missed that falls below this minimum must be made-up.” According to Willoughby-Eastlake calamity day information shared in the annual letter to families, the district’s top priority is always the safety and security of students. With the potential for significant and hazardous wintry weather, the district explains how it decides to close or delay school in the letter that’s shared. “Snow, ice and wind may have significant and varying impacts on the schools,” the letter reads. “Schools may be closed for many reasons. Snow and/or ice accumulation, sleet, wind chill, wind damage, water pipe breaks or power outages are examples of utility and weather-related circumstances that may affect school operations.” The district takes many factors into consideration. Additionally, the Operations Department and the superintendent monitor the weather. If the district is concerned about the weather reports, as well as the safe travel of families and bus drivers, staff are up early in the morning traveling the streets. School campuses are also monitored to ensure the roads on the campuses, parking lots and sidewalks are safe. “If we feel it is safe for students and buses to travel on the roads, and to be on campus, then school will be in session for the day,” the letter states. “If we feel the roads are entirely unsafe or there are other weather-related facility concerns, school will be canceled for the day.” If the temperature, with wind chill, feels like -15 degrees Fahrenheit or below, school will be closed to ensure students are safe. Since the majority of the district’s students walk or wait for the bus in the morning, it is important that they stay warm and safe on days when the temperature feels like -15 degrees or below, the letter continues. Decisions are generally made prior to 5:30 a.m. unless there are extenuating circumstances. School closings are announced via several platforms. Closings will be announced by any or all of the following: District social media accounts. The website will feature a pop-up alert. A school messenger alert will be sent to parents and guardians, and staff via a phone call, a text and an email. The local television news stations post school closings. Times vary as to when these are posted. School messenger is used for a variety of parent communication reasons, so the district encourages to listen\ to the entire message upon receipt. Athletic events and practices are canceled when school is canceled due to the weather. “We notify families as promptly and efficiently as possible when a decision to close is made, utilizing several communication tools,” Kevern said. The decision to close school is a difficult one with the primary concern being the health and safety of students, staff and their families, Kevern said. “The superintendents in Lake County discuss impending weather events that could affect all districts in order to share information and make informed decisions prior to closing,” she said. ...read more read less