INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURES

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SCHOOL CLOSURE AND LATE OPENINGS:

ALL SCHOOLS-CLOSED FOR THE ENTIRE DAY - In the event of bad weather and very hazardous road conditions throughout the county, all schools may be closed for the entire day. Every effort will be made to have such an announcement made over the radio and television stations by 6.30 a.m.

ALL SCHOOLS-LATE OPENING-Conditions may warrant an announcement that all schools will open one or more hours later than normal. It should be understood that whenever school is opened two or more hours late there will be no A.M. Kindergarten.

OPENING EXCEPTION-SEVERE VARIANCE OF CONDITIONS-HEREFORD ZONE-Weather conditions may vary severely in the northern section of the county necessitating an exception. For organizational purposes, this northern section shall be call the “Hereford Zone”, and will consist of Hereford High, Hereford Middle, Fifth District Elementary, Prettyboy Elementary, Seventh District Elementary, and Sparks Elementary.

ANNOUNCEMENT ALTERNATIVES:

• Baltimore County Schools will be open today. However, due to the severe weather conditions, schools in the Hereford Zone will be closed..
• All Baltimore County Schools will be open today. However, due to the weather conditions, the schools in the “Hereford Zone” will open one (or more) hours late this morning.
• Baltimore County Schools will open one (or more) hours late this morning. However, due to the severe weather conditions, schools in the “Hereford Zone” will be closed.

EARLY DISMISSAL-On occasion unusual and/or potentially dangerous weather conditions require schools to close early. When this occurs there are three options:

• One Hour Early Closing
• Two Hour Early Closing
• Three Hour Early Closing

TWO HOUR EARLY CLOSINGS present unique problems with serving lunch and morning kindergarten routines. The morning kindergarten bus will not run so kindergarten students will have to remain at school through lunch and be dismissed with other elementary students. This means kindergarten students will ride home on the same bus they rode to school in the morning - something with which they are unfamiliar.

On those rare occasions when school closes two hours early parents of kindergarten students who want to pick up their children at the normal dismissal time are encouraged to do so.

If possible the decision to close schools two hours early will be made by 10:30 a.m. The following message will be announced by television and radio stations:

• “All Baltimore County Public Schools will close two hours earlier than normal closing time. There will be no afternoon kindergarten. Morning kindergarten students will be dismissed with other elementary school students.”

Since the two hour early closing option (1:20 p.m.) will mean that kindergarten students, who are not picked up at the regular time by parents, will remain at school for two additional hours every effort will be made to provide them a snack.

Every effort will be made to serve lunch to all students who normally eat at school.

ONE HOUR EARLY CLOSING - Students will be dismissed one hour earlier (2:20 p.m.) than normal. Normal dismissal and bus procedures will be followed. Lunches will be served as usual. The following message will be announced by television and radio stations: “All Baltimore County Public Schools will close one hour earlier than normal closing time.”

THREE HOUR EARLY CLOSING - Students will be dismissed three hours earlier (12:20 p.m.) than normal. There will not be afternoon kindergarten. Morning kindergarten students will remain at school and will travel home on the same bus they rode to school in the morning - again, as with two hour early closings, something with which they are unfamiliar. As with two hour early closings, parents who find it necessary or wish to pick up their children at the normal dismissal time are encouraged to do so.

If possible the decision to close schools three hours early will be made by 10:30 a.m. The following message will be announced by television and radio stations: “All Baltimore County Public Schools will close three hours earlier than normal closing time. There will be no afternoon kindergarten. Morning kindergarten students will be dismissed with other elementary school students. No lunches will be served to students.”

In all cases of early school closings due to inclement weather, all planned use of school facilities by recreation, scouts, etc. are automatically canceled.

SPECIAL NOTE: Schools in the Hereford Zone, of which Riderwood is not, are frequently subject to late openings, early closings or closings for all day while other county schools continue to open and function as normal . PLEASE DON’T CALL SCHOOL FOR THIS INFORMATION. WE ONLY HAVE TWO LINES AND WE CAN’T GET EMERGENCY CALLS WHEN THE LINES ARE ALL BUSY. WE GET THE INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET AND RADIO JUST LIKE YOU DO. If you have any questions or specific needs for your children, please contact the teacher or the school office. We will do our best to accommodate special needs.