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Akron Public Schools
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Inclement Weather and emergency closing Procedures

School Year 2023-24

(translations of the information below are available in Arabic, Burmese, Farsi/Dari, Karen, Nepali, Pashto, Spanish, Swahili and Ukranian)

TO:  APS Students/Parents/Families/Community Members 

 
In extreme emergency situations, it may be necessary to close school buildings to cancel the school day completely or to allow for early dismissal of students. When this occurs the following procedures will occur:
 
  • School Closing/Cancellation of the School Day: When school is canceled due to inclement weather or other emergencies, an announcement of the closing will be broadcast by 6:30 a.m. on area TV Stations (Channels 3, 5, 8, 19 and 25); on area radio stations; and on the district’s website (www.akronschools.com) along with APS social media outlets. All students/families/staff will receive an All-Call Notification from the district’s emergency system. It is necessary that we have updated phone numbers and contact email addresses so that way we may properly contact you. Otherwise we will NOT be able to reach you.

    This year, no one will be at school buildings to provide assistance on days when schools are closed. Students are NOT to report to school buildings and are to remain at home. In the past, the building principal was available for students whose parents did not have updated phone numbers or email addresses to assist in reaching out should students arrive at campus.  Please be certain your contact information at the school is up to date. 

    Selected APS staff members needing to report to work will be contacted by their immediate supervisor.
     
  • Early Dismissal from the School Day: When it is necessary to close school buildings before the end of the school day, radio/TV stations will be notified; and the district’s All-Call Notification System will be activated at least 90 minutes prior to the emergency dismissal time to notify families.

    Selected staff will remain with students who are not picked up or do not have adult supervision at home as contact is made to families regarding the early dismissal. School staff will be released from duty 30 minutes after the students depart.

    (updated Nov. 1, 2023)

Following is a letter to the community from Dr. Michael Robinson regarding how/why schools are closed for weather-related reasons.

 
Dear APS Community:
 
As we begin to feel the onset of winter, Akron Public Schools is sending this as a reminder of how we evaluate winter weather and its impact on our daily operations.
 
We understand that our decision to stay open or to close schools in bad weather has a significant effect on our students and their families. Here are reasons for the decisions we are charged with making during inclement weather. This helps our families with the choices they have to make, as well, during harsh winter weather.
 
Most vital for families to know is that we understand children are better served both academically and socially by being in school as often as possible. Balanced with that, of course, is our priority for their safety. But our desire is for children to have continuity in their education and be in school as often as possible.
 
The following information is what we consider in all decisions relative to closing school due to inclement weather:
  1. Information from state, county and city officials focused on road conditions, along with both the short- and long-term weather forecasts.
  2. Information from our bus transportation providers including their recommendations focused on sending the buses out on the roads.
  3. A conversation with our supervisor of buildings and grounds to ensure the parking lots can be open for parking during both the opening and closing of the school day.

Ultimately, considering the information above, the decision also includes the following important factors:

  1. Temperature, including wind chill factor.
  2. Wind velocity's impact on blowing and drifting of snow.
  3. Buses running routes at a slower pace have an impact on the length of time students may be waiting at bus stops.
  4. Parents/guardians driving their sons/daughters to school in poor driving conditions and high-school-age students with little experience driving to school.
  5. Number of inches of projected snowfall.

Often, parents ask us if we could delay the start of a school day when weather presents these challenges. Coordinating an alternate time for school-provided transportation to drop off/pick up is not possible. It is complicated by the fact our buses drive students to districts and schools throughout and even outside of greater Akron into five different counties.

In addition, an early dismissal introduces the risk of sending a young student home to an empty house. We believe that knowing students are inside, safe, warm and learning is a better choice than unintentionally sending students home to an empty house.

Finally, we do know that most families would like to know as early as possible what our decision is. Due to the unpredictability of our weather, we always want to make the best decision and that is often not the earliest decision.