In the case of inclement or severe weather, local radio stations are notified:
WMNC (1430 AM/92.1
FM), WKVS (103.3 FM), WCIS (760 AM), WHKY (1290 AM), WNNC/WAIZ (1230 AM/630 AM),
and Burke Weather
Parents and students are requested to listen to one of these radio stations as
the source of information concerning delay, closing, or early dismissal of
Burke County Public Schools. Secondary
sources of information are the following TV
stations: WBTV, WYFF, WSPA, WSOC, WLOS, WCCB (Fox News), and WCNC
or call the school system’s weather hotline number 433-8047. The closing information will also be
listed on our website – www.burke.k12.nc.us.
School personnel who remain in continuous contact
with the local law enforcement and the Highway Patrol always monitor weather
conditions. The decision to close or
delay school will be made by school officials between 5:00 a.m. – 5:30
a.m. The local media will be notified of
any school cancellation, early dismissal or delay and given information of
alternate schedules or other pertinent information. If these media sources are not announcing
information concerning Burke County Public Schools, schools will operate on a
normal schedule.
Parents who have children in
the Burke County Public Schools Child Care Programs should understand that the
childcare programs follow the school system’s policy on severe weather. If school is cancelled, then the childcare
program will also be cancelled. A
decision to hold extracurricular events will be made on a case-by-case basis
(weather conditions may clear later in the day).
When the decision is made to
have school on a two-hour delay, we will announce if the delay is for students
only or for students and staff. Many
times the TV stations will not make this distinction, so if there is a two-hour
delay you might want to tune to a local radio station or call the school system’s
weather hotline number, 433-8047. Please
remember that when we have a two-hour delay our buses are on the road as early
as 7:30 a.m. That would basically be the
time that most faculty and staff come to work.
On an optional workday, if any
employee feels that the roads are unsafe to travel, the school district will
work with the employee to make up the day at another time. Safety of our students and staff is our top
priority!
In preparation of the winter season, the following procedures will be utilized as part of the Burke County Public Schools Inclement Weather Plan.
Unless
it is a situation where we have buildings that are unusable due to conditions
such as leaking pipes or power outages, option 1 will most likely be
selected. This will give personnel the
opportunity to decide on the use of leave days.
Options two and three would be reserved for unusable facilities and
situations where it is felt impractical to open the schools.
A.
School Closings - When students do not attend school due
to weather conditions, one of three options will be available to employees:
1. Optional
Teacher Workday – Ten-month
employees will have the option of reporting to work, taking annual leave,
having a full day’s deduction if they do not have annual leave, or making up
the absence according to state personnel policy guidelines. Each
employee will have to determine if conditions are safe enough to come to school
or work.
2. Closed
for Students and Instructional Staff – All ten-month instructional staff will have to take
annual leave or have a full day’s salary deduction. Twelve-month employees will report to work,
take annual leave, or take a full day’s salary deduction.
3. Closed
for Everyone – The
third option will be to declare the school system closed for all staff. In this case, all employees will have to take
an annual leave day or a full day’s salary deduction with the option to make up
the day at a designated time.
B. Early Dismissal
When
school is dismissed early due to inclement conditions or other emergency
situations, all ten-month employees are to remain at school until students
are adequately cared for at each
individual school. Staff members may be
dismissed at that time by their principal, if conditions merit such a
dismissal. The principal may also work
with staff members who live farther away and allow them to leave as soon as
possible while other staff members who live closer to the school remain and
assist with the dismissal of students.
Even with the best efforts in notifying parents, some children will
remain at school for an extended period of time. Principals should have a plan in place to
provide for adequate supervision for the students left at school until released
to their parents or guardians.
All
twelve-month employees are expected to remain for their regular working day
until dismissed by the Superintendent due to severe weather. If twelve-month employees decide to leave
earlier than their regular workday; annual leave or appropriate leave will be
charged.
C. Delay Start
When
school is delayed due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances,
all ten-month employees are expected to arrive at school at the earliest and
safest time. Many parents will usually
bring children early in the morning.
Therefore, administrators will need assistance from their staff in providing
for students as they arrive. Procedures
should be in place to accommodate these children. Under
no circumstances should children remain outside on very cold and/or snowy
mornings. If ten-month employees
elect to arrive late, then they should work with their supervisor to make up
the time or have a salary deduction for the time missed. Twelve-month employees are expected to arrive
at their normal time. Again, failure to
report to work will result in leave being charged.
D. Safety
Everyone
should exercise caution and use good judgment in making the decisions about school
closing/early dismissal/delay start situations.
Specific questions should be directed to the principal.