• CLOSINGS & DELAYS



     

     

    SCHOOL CLOSING AND/OR DELAY INFORMATION

    On occasion, weather conditions or other unexpected circumstances may make it necessary for school to be delayed or canceled. The safety of our students is always paramount in this decision-making process. NASD has developed a layered approach to disseminating closing/cancellation/delay information. SchoolMessenger, a web-based telephone notification system, is the primary vehicle used for the communication of weather-related cancellation or delay information, as well as other emergency or crisis-related messages. Parents are responsible for ensuring that their information is correctly registered in this system. Information is also posted on the district website, and submitted to the three local television stations. This page presents detailed information about these communications and how the decision is made to delay, close or cancel school.

    WEATHER ALERT: CLOSINGS & DELAYS

    In the event of a two-hour delay or if North Allegheny schools are closed because of snow or other emergency conditions, the official announcement is provided here on northallegheny.org. The information is also communicated on local television stations and through the district’s SchoolMessenger system. The district will not post delays and closings to social media. Kindergarten parents—please be mindful of the modified schedule for kindergarten when there is a two-hour delay:

    • AM Kindergarten: 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM
    • PM Kindergarten: 1:45 PM to 3:30 PM

     

    If school is canceled due to inclement weather, there will be no school on the first two canceled days, utilizing the two snow days built into the school calendar.

    • All subsequent snow days will be asynchronous Flexible Instruction Days.
    • On these days students will complete learning activities and assignments at home provided by their teachers.
    • Read more about Flexible Instruction Days.

     

     

    DECIDING TO CLOSE OR DELAY

    Staff members are out very early in the morning to evaluate road conditions when bad weather hits our area. Their observations are evaluated by the Superintendent, along with information from local municipalities, police, road maintenance crews, and the National Weather Service. While we know conditions can change quickly, our goal is to make a decision about delaying or canceling school by 5:30 AM, since some of our high school students and staff are on the road by 6:00 AM.

    DECISIONS CAN CHANGE

    Sometimes, the weather will take a serious turn for the worse and a delay will become a cancellation, so parents should monitor communications on an ongoing basis throughout a morning when weather is a factor. Other times, bad weather conditions will not arise until after the 5:30 AM deadline and communications issues become a particular challenge.

    COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT CANCELLATIONS OR DELAYS

    As soon as a decision is made about a cancellation or delay, the information is placed on the NASD website. Next, a message is programmed into the SchoolMessenger automated phone system and activated for delivery. Setting up the message generally takes about 15 minutes. Delivering the message to the entire district generally takes 30-40 minutes. It is very important that parents and staff members keep their contact information up-to-date in the SchoolMessenger system.

    Then, the information is communicated to the three local television stations. While some of the television stations have an automated report system, others do not. The district has no control over how or when the stations report this information.

    While weather conditions cannot be anticipated or controlled, technical difficulties with the NASD website or cable television connections or technical difficulties experienced by local television/radio stations can also hinder our best efforts to communicate this critical information. For this reason, NASD has taken a “layered” approach to disseminating these important messages. We recommend that students and parents routinely check several sources for information.

    TWO HOUR DELAYS

    When a two-hour delay is called, students should be at their bus stop two hours after their normal reporting time. Kindergarten students follow this schedule:

    • AM Kindergarten 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM
    • PM Kindergarten 1:45 PM to 3:30 PM

    IF SCHOOL IS DISMISSED EARLY

    In very rare circumstances, it has been necessary to dismiss students early from school. The same communication resources outlined above are implemented.

    COMMUNICATION SOURCES

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