David Krenz

Austin superintendent

The winter months are upon us and the Austin Public School District along with families need to have a plan in place for late starts, early releases and inclement weather days. The following are some important facts parents and guardians need to know as we work to help keep children safe this winter.

• The District confers with local agencies on elements such as road conditions, storm path, and wind chill factors, as it considers late starts, early releases or closures.

• The District tries to notify parents as early as possible, but conditions can change and we want to have the latest and most accurate information upon which to base the decision.

• Factors considered are static or wind chill of -35 or below, timing of road snow clearance and drifting snow.

• Lost revenue is not a factor when considering late starts, early releases or school closures. Student safety and education are the only considerations.

• Each student’s overall safety is considered, and even though it seems students are safer at home, a large number of district students go home to unsupervised situations and the safest place for them is school. As a district we have only 14 percent of our students on rural bus routes; the vast majority of our students live within Austin and walk or have short bus routes.

• Look to www.austindailyherald.com and listen/watch for school related closures at KAUS, KROC, KAAL, KTTC, KIMT, district website and also the district Facebook page. You can also register on the District Parent Portal to receive phone messages and/or text messages related to school related closures. Information on the Parent Portal can be found on the district website.

• To be prepared please develop a plan with your children for instances when school is dismissed during the day. Relatives and neighbors should be advised of the plan, and children should know where to go if they are sent home early.

• Insist that children dress appropriately for winter weather. Healthy children are very weather resilient when properly clothed. Hats and gloves, warm, buttoned jackets and boots are necessary. Remember that elementary children do go out for recess on most winter days.

• Insist that if your student is a driver they drive according to conditions; even if it isn’t snowing or blowing the roads, during the winter, have snow or ice on them.

• The ultimate right and responsibility in deciding whether or not to send children to school on difficult weather days belongs to parents or guardians.

We all must prepare for the season and make careful decisions, taking into consideration all circumstances during these winter days.