Article 1 – SCHOOL CALENDAR AND SCHEDULES

Section 1 School Calendar

The school calendar is found at Appendix A

Section 2 Severe Weather and School Cancellations

The Superintendent is authorized by the Board of Education to close public schools in case of severe weather Representatives of the Superintendent’s staff will notify local news media when inclement weather warrants such action The information is broadcast regularly by radio and television stations North Platte Public Schools will utilize an automated messaging system to notify staff and families of school cancellations

North Platte Public Schools uses a communication system to alert families and staff of weather-related school closings. The communication system allows the administration to notify by telephone and email when school has been canceled due to bad weather. School closing information will also be announced through local media.

The decision to close school is made after an early inspection of road conditions and school facilities, as well as current or forecasted weather conditions. When a school closing decision is made in the evening, the district staff try to notify families and staff by 10:00 p.m. When a decision is made in the morning, district staff try to notify families and staff by 7:00 a.m. Families and staff could receive a call as early as 6:00 a.m. to ensure our system has time to complete all notifications by 7:00 a.m.

Sometimes weather worsens during the school hours, making it advisable to dismiss students before the regular dismissal time It shall be the philosophy of the District to avoid early dismissal if possible except in extreme cases Parents who wish to remove their children during inclement weather may do so In the event of an early dismissal, the communication system will be activated

The final decision as to whether a child should attend school or stay at home is at the discretion of the parents

Staff Information for Weather Closings When school is closed for weather conditions, teachers and paraprofessionals do not report. Hourly staff will not be compensated for weather closing days.

All administrators, secretaries, and technology staff are to report unless the Central Office Administration makes the decision that all personnel should remain home Personnel who cannot reach work when requested may take paid time off leave Central Office Administration requires staff to remain on call throughout the day.

All maintenance and custodial staff are to report, unless notified otherwise by their supervisor

Section 3 Contract Days

Teachers are contracted for 185 days for the school year (hereinafter referred to as the ”contract year”) Such contract days shall be serviced by individual teachers on varying schedules as established by the Board of Education and administration If school is canceled, it is at the discretion of the district to schedule additional calendar days to compensate for weather related cancellations. This would mean that teachers would be making up canceled school days, or “snow days.”