Inclement Weather

The winter season can arrive early in Western North Carolina. Our district administration, faculty and staff understand that our decision to open or close schools during inclement weather has a big effect on families. We also recognize that our students are better served – both academically and socially – by being in school. However, our top priority is always the safety of our students, families and staff.

Please understand that we make the decision to open or close school based on a careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

• Information on road conditions from transportation staff, local law enforcement and road crews
• Amount of snow and ice accumulated; remember, your road may be clear while others might be treacherous
• Weather predictions/radar, is precipitation ending or will it continue throughout the day?
• Temperature with wind chills at or below -15F
• Whether or not the City can treat problem areas in a timely manner
• Building conditions (such as whether they have electricity and heat)
• Parking lot conditions

As Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Maggie Fehrman is ultimately responsible for the final decision based on the above factors and recommendations from our Transportation Director and Communications Division.

We strive to make a decision by 5:45 AM or earlier so we can notify TV and radio stations and post the status update via our website, ParentSquare, Facebook, Instagram, emails and texts. Keep in mind that changing weather conditions, not unusual in the mountains, may force us to make a decision later than 6:00 AM or to change a previously announced status.

If conditions worsen during the school day, we may need to call an early dismissal and will give as much notice as possible to families and staff. Keep in mind that an early dismissal could occur soon after students first arrive at school. While Dr. Fehrman's staff does its absolute best in this process, they know that often no perfect decision exists. If you do not feel that it is safe for your child to get to school, use your best judgment whether or not he or she should attend. Also, please discourage teenagers from driving in bad conditions and offer them alternatives as weather conditions worsen. Bottom line: safety will always come first in our inclement weather decisions.

If school is dismissed early, we will first send a recorded call to every phone number in our ParentSquare database, including work, home and cell phones. The dismissal status will then be relayed to the local TV and radio stations as well as posted via our website, Facebook,  Instagram, emails and texts. It is imperative that you keep your contact information updated at your student's school, which will ensure our calls and emails reach you.

We will keep you informed in advance about potential makeup days, which could include teacher workdays, Saturdays, extension of the school year or a portion of Spring Break.

Television and Radio Announcements will be made as early as possible on the mornings of inclement weather. Every effort will be made to include announcements on the stations listed no later than 6:00 AM, or the evening before, if conditions dictate. We will also provide the latest info via Facebook, Instagram and ParentSquare app/email alerts. Weather/road conditions in the mountains can change quickly, especially in the early morning hours. We encourage our staff, parents and students to monitor the local media outlets for last minute updates/changes and to drive on area highways only when it can be done in a safe manner.

Radio Stations: WWNC, WKSF, WCQS, WPEK, WOXL, WRES, WQNX, WQNQ and WMXF
Television Stations: WLOS-TV, WSPA-TV, WYFF-TV and WHNS-TV