Delays, Dismissals, Cancellations & Last Day

Delay and Cancellation Policy

Decision to Close or Delay:

If inclement weather impacts the morning commute, the Superintendent of Schools, in consultation with the Highway Division and Public Buildings Division, will decide whether to cancel school or delay the opening of school. This decision will be made based on road conditions throughout the town, as well as on the ability to clear school driveways, parking lots, and entrances/exits. Please note that plowing and treating roads is the Highway Department's first priority, and neighborhood sidewalks may not be cleared prior to the morning commute. Conditions will vary in different neighborhoods across town (especially side streets), and many town sidewalks may not be cleared for some time after a snowfall. Parents are in the best position to judge the situation in their own neighborhood and to make decisions regarding safety. When you are deciding whether your child may walk to school or wait at a bus stop, to drive your child to school, or to allow your high school student to drive to school, please be mindful of the conditions, especially given the height of snow banks at intersections and in parking lots. Parents who do not feel comfortable with the conditions in their neighborhood when school has not been canceled always have the option to choose not to send their children to school. During poor weather, parent pick up and drop off lines at schools and bus routes will typically run more slowly than on a normal day, so we appreciate your patience and understanding.

Communication of Closures and Delays:

The Superintendent of Schools typically decides whether to close or delay opening between 5:30 and 5:45am. Once the decision is made, the district's automated phone call and e-mail system will be used to communicate this information to families and staff. For families, the phone message will be sent to the phone number selected in PowerSchool for cancellations and the e-mail will be sent to both parents' addresses - it is crucial that parents maintain up-to-date contact information in through the PowerSchool Parent Portal for this to be effective. This message will be sent between 5:30am and 6:00am, and may take up to 15 minutes to cycle through.

Cancellation and delay information will also be broadcast on WBZ TV Channel 4, WCVB TV Channel 5, WHDH TV Channel 7, WFXT TV Channel 25, WTAG Radio AM 580, WSRS Radio FM 96.1, and WBZ Radio AM 1030. The Shrewsbury Public Schools web site Delays and Cancellations page will be updated as soon as possible after the decision; that site will also contain all of the information in this memo.

 

Delay Information:

In cases where some additional time for road treatment and snow removal from campuses will be needed for school to be held, the Superintendent may choose to delay the opening of school. This could be a one-hour delay, but occasionally a 90-minute, or two-hour delayed opening. When there is a one-hour delay, morning Extended School Care is canceled and all school programs, including morning Preschool sessions, will begin one hour late. When there is a 90-minute or two-hour delay, Extended School Care and morning Preschool classes are all canceled. Please see the table below for the adjusted start times for the school day for students in the case of a delay. When a delay is called, students may not arrive at the school campus until one hour, 90 minutes or two hours later than the time they are allowed to arrive on a normal day, as there will not be access and supervision prior to that time. Bus routes will also begin one hour, 90 minutes or two hours later than on a normal day.

Early Dismissals:

Under rare circumstances, the Superintendent of Schools may determine that inclement weather that threatens to make the afternoon commute unsafe requires an early dismissal from school. If such a decision is made, we will notify families using the emergency function of our automated phone and e-mail system so that all phone numbers on record for both parents will be called (home, mobile, and work) in addition to both parent e-mails. Families are asked to plan ahead regarding childcare for such a situation.

Starting times for schools when there is a delay.