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Families,
As a team of school administrators, we are committed to keeping you informed about our process of responding to inclement weather. We recognize that these decisions impact your family's routine, particularly for our elementary school parents who may need to arrange child care when school schedules are interrupted.
Our Catholic schools in the immediate Jefferson City area collaborate regularly on decisions regarding school closures and schedule changes due to inclement weather. In most cases we make every effort to determine the same or complementary decisions regarding school closures and schedule changes for our nearby partner schools.
Predicting weather patterns is a complex task, even for meteorologists, and the unpredictability of weather remains a significant challenge. In our decision-making process, we consult weather reports, local road crews, our local public schools, and other resources. This approach is intended to ensure consistency and allows us to make informed decisions.
A key consideration for us is the safety of our students and staff and having enough personnel to run our programs. Many of our staff live in rural areas or outside city limits.
In the past, we have sometimes decided to announce a school closure the night before to give families ample time to prepare. However, weather and road conditions can change dramatically overnight.
Moving forward, we want to provide you with clear guidelines for inclement weather situations:
1. Early Indicators: If local public schools close early due to weather concerns, it's a good indicator that you should start thinking about or arranging child care in case school schedules are affected.
2. Decision Timing: Moving forward, we will generally not decide on school closures until early morning. The reason for waiting until this time is to do our best to preserve valuable instructional time, as conditions can change significantly overnight. Our goal is to avoid unnecessary closures or delays, protecting valuable instructional time.
3. Final Announcement: Barring any unexpected shifts in the weather, we aim to inform you of any closures or delays no later than 6:00 a.m.
We continuously strive to balance the safety of our community with our commitment to education. Rest assured, these decisions are made with great care, considering the well-being of our entire school family.
Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation as we make these challenging decisions. Together, we will navigate these challenges while keeping our community safe, informed, and educationally engaged.
Warm regards,
Spencer Allen – Helias Catholic High School
Heather Schrimpf – Immaculate Conception School
Gina Bailey – St. Joseph Cathedral School
Julie Clingman – St. Martin Catholic School
Gayle Trachsel – St. Peter Interparish School
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