HOW DOES THE WIND CHILL AFFECT SCHOOL BEING DELAYED OR CLOSED?
During the winter months, several factors come into play that could delay the start of school or cause school to be closed altogether. One such factor is the wind chill on a given day. On particularly cold mornings, we continuously monitor the National Weather Service and closely monitor the weather conditions. There are two possible scenarios that come from the National Weather Service: a Wind Chill Advisory and a Wind Chill Warning. The National Weather Service in Louisville defines the two as follows:
· Wind Chill Advisory: Wind Chills between -10 and -25 degrees
· Wind Chill Warning: Wind Chills -25 degrees and below
When the National Weather Service issues a Wind Chill Warning for Logan County for the time the school day begins, we will make a decision to close schools. It is quite likely we will make this type of decision on the morning of the day in question, as it is hard to predict what the wind chill will be the night before. If there is a Wind Chill Advisory for the county, schools will likely be open unless there are operational problems with the bus fleet or mechanical problems in the school buildings. Buildings and the bus fleet are assessed in the morning prior to school by 6 a.m.
As a parent, if you determine that the weather conditions are too dangerous for your child to be out, we respect your decision. You are free to contact your child’s school to request an excused absence for the day. If your child misses school because your car will not start or other issues related to extreme cold temperatures, those reasons may be counted as an excused absence. Please make sure you contact the attendance office at your child’s school to report the absence.
Understand that the safety of our staff and students is our top priority when making the decision to delay or close school. We can assure you that our school buildings are warm, safe, and an ideal place for students to be when it is extremely cold outside. Parents should make sure their child is dressed appropriately for the cold weather. The district urges students to wear winter hats, gloves, heavy coats, and boots. Frostbite and hypothermia are serious risks and need to be taken into consideration by parents.