Shiloh Village School District #85

Question:  When (What time) is the decision made to cancel school?

Closing the Morning of School

• Area superintendents awake around 4:00 am to evaluate conditions and weather forecasts and begin communicating with each other around 4:30 am.
• Bus company personnel drive routes as needed to evaluate the safety of bus routes.  The bus company reports to the superintendents no later than 5:30 am.
• All information is gathered, and the decision is typically made around 5:40 am so that notification of the closing can be made using the automated calling system.  

Closing the Night Before

• Area superintendents are in communication with each other as early as possible.

• The decision to cancel school is typically made no later than 9:00 pm so that notification of the closing can be viewed on the 10:00 pm news. 

The decision to close school is always made at the earliest reasonable time.  The automated calling system is activated once the decision is made.  Please note the automated calling system must call nearly 700 numbers when Shiloh Village SD #85 sends an “all call” to our employees and students.  It is important that families not rely on the automated calling system as the only source of information, as there is always the possibility of a system delay in calling or a technical difficulty.  Please always check other sources for notification (news media and district web site) on days of inclement weather.

 

Question:  Will Shiloh Schools utilize Remote Learning for weather related issues?

Many have inquired about the possibility of shifting to remote leaning when inclement weather occurs. Shiloh Schools will cancel classes and will use an emergency day.  Here are some of the factors used to make this decision:

Not all teachers/paras can work remotely from home to instruct their students.  Shiloh does not want teachers driving to school in unsafe conditions in order to deliver instruction. 

Not all Shiloh Schools employees have duties that will allow them to work from home.  Some duties must be performed at Shiloh.

ISBE requires lunches be provided on remote learning days, but not on snow days.  It would not be appropriate to ask Food Service workers to come into work to prepare lunches in unsafe conditions when other Shiloh employees are not required to come to work due to safety concerns.  

As we have discovered in the past, a snow day may provide a nice break (day off) for both teachers and students during the stress of COVID-19. 

We have built six “snow” days into the calendar specifically for this reason.

 

Question:  Is there a delayed start schedule that Shiloh Schools use when there is inclement weather?

Shiloh does not have a delayed start schedule.  If there is inclement weather that results in safety concerns, school will be cancelled. 

A delayed start time for the school day would necessitate a reduction of instructional minutes for various class periods during the day.  This reduction of class time would interfere with planned educational lessons.  Tests, labs, or other instructional activities may not have adequate time to be completed during the shortened class period, thus creating the inability to meet educational objectives as scheduled.  It is believed a delayed start to the school day is more detrimental to the learning sequence than to simply cancel school and reschedule the day in its entirety.  Shiloh Schools place the emphasis on learning, rather than just getting a day of school in the books.  In addition, transportation/bussing considerations make a delayed start schedule less desirable.

 

Question:  What factor(s) determine when school will be cancelled?

Each school district has unique circumstances to evaluate when making the decision to cancel school.  Considerations common to Shiloh are as follows:

Road Conditions

·       In general, are the roads safe for travel within village limits as well as rural areas? 

·       Are the roads safe for bus traffic? 

·       Can school buses adequately maneuver?

Parking Lot and Drop-Off Zone Conditions

·       Are school parking lots and drop-off zones safe for drivers and students?

·       Can students and employees safely walk into our buildings?

Bus Stops and Sidewalks

·       Do students have a safe place to wait for the bus?

·       Are sidewalks clear so that students have safe access to bus stops? 

·       Are students able to access sidewalks to walk safely to school?

Temperature and Wind Chill

·       Are wind chill temperatures safe for students as they walk to school or wait at bus stops?

·       Are wind chill temperatures so extreme that automobile and bus reliability is in question?

·       In general, Shiloh Village SD #85 uses a -30 degree wind chill as a benchmark to cancel school.  The district may cancel school for wind chills less than -30 degrees if other factors are present that impact safety.

Facilities

·       Are facilities suitable for use given the weather condition? 

·       What are possible or probable issues for the facility given the weather conditions?

Weather

·       What are current weather conditions? 

·       What is the weather forecast? 

·       What issues will incoming weather potentially create?

 Other School Districts and Cooperatives

•  What decisions are being made by other area school districts? 

• How will their decision impact shared services, common classrooms, or shared events?

This list is not all inclusive, but it provides an idea of the issues that are considered when making the decision to cancel school.

 

Question:  Will students be allowed to practice or participate in extracurricular activities when school has been cancelled?

Once Shiloh Village SD #85 has made the decision to close school all practices, extracurricular activities and games are cancelled for that day. 

At all times, the safety and well-being of our students and employees governs all decision-making regarding school closures.  Shiloh will always err on the side of safety when making a decision.

 

Thank you again for your understanding and support during the challenges of the winter season.

Dale Sauer