With winter weather approaching, we're making sure we're prepared to keep students safe. Below you will find the District's procedures should bad weather necessitate a change in schedule. It is important families be prepared, so please make sure your child understands when you expect them to return home, or to the home of a trusted neighbor, in the event of an early dismissal.
School Closings
Unless there is an announcement, assume school is in session as usual. Typically, a decision to close school is made prior to 5:45 a.m. or when at all possible the evening before. However, there have been cases where the weather worsened during the morning hours and a decision was made slightly later than the 5:45 a.m. goal.
In the event of a school closing, the six-day schedule will not skip days. For example, if school is closed on cycle day 1, when students return to school it will be cycle day 1. Cumberland Perry AVTS students will not have school on days the District is closed.
Two Hour Delays
If the decision is made to start later, schools will open two hours after normal start times and buses will run two hours later than normal route times.
Kindergarten students will follow a modified schedule during a two hour delay, with morning kindergarten/KAP held from 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. and afternoon kindergarten/KAP from 12:45-3:30 p.m.
Transportation to Cumberland Perry AVTS will be provided for students following the two hour delay.
Early Dismissals
On days when it is necessary to dismiss school early, middle and high schools will dismiss first. To the best of our ability, we will provide families with as much advance notice as possible to plan for childcare and to mitigate the impact of lost instructional time for students.
Communication
Once a decision has been made, we will use several communication avenues to notify parents, students, and staff as quickly as possible.
- Automated Phone and Text Message System - Notification will be sent to all home telephone numbers, cell phone numbers, work numbers, and e-mail addresses. A text message will also be sent to parents who have opted-in to the service. If you have not received phone calls or text messages from the District this school year, please contact your child's school to ensure the District has your correct contact information.
- District Website - Closing information will always be posted on the opening page of the West Shore School District website at www.wssd.k12.pa.us.
- Social Media – Information will be shared on the District’s twitter, facebook, and instagram accounts. You can follow these pages @WestShoreSD. Please note, due to the time needed for our automated system to process messages, there may be some instances in which the information is available on social media before you receive a call, email, or text from the District.
- Other - Details will also be available on the District weather message line (717-938-3179) and reported to local radio and television stations.
When deciding whether to cancel, delay, or dismiss school early, there are multiple factors to be considered, but always at the forefront of my decision-making process is the safety of our children and District staff members.