Dear Parents,
As school administrators, it can be challenging to decide whether to close schools for inclement weather
or the threat of inclement weather. Last winter certainly presented its fair share of challenges to us. As
we evaluated our procedures for this year, I thought it might be helpful to share with you some
information in advance of winter. As we all know, it will sneak up on us before we know it.
How do we make the weather related school closing decisions?
-We gather as much weather related information as possible at the given time.
-We seek information from state, county and local officials. We focus on road conditions along with
both the short and long term weather forecasts.
-We discuss with our facilities manager the condition of school property, parking lots and drop off
points.
-We evaluate whether enough faculty will be present (their ability to get to work safely is a factor)
-Bus route road conditions
-We evaluate information about wind, below freezing temperatures and the possibility of snow or ice.
What may appear to be a simple decision includes many components: transportation, before/after
school child care, the time frame in which the decision needs to be made, information from Shelby
County school system and neighboring private schools, threat of high winds, flooding and other weather
conditions.
Ultimately, we have to make that decision after consultation with many others and it is, indeed, often a
difficult one. Like you, our first priority is to ensure the safety of our students, parents, faculty and staff.
When called upon to make these decisions, we will not compromise that basic principle. We know from
experience that there may be times when we make a decision based on projections and forecasts that
turn out to be incorrect. Please know that we do our best to make these decisions with the information
available at the time.
If you believe your child would be safer at home in poor weather conditions, your child’s
absence will be marked as excused with a phone call to the office. Likewise, if you are
uncomfortable with the weather conditions throughout a poor weather day, we encourage
you to use your best judgment and communicate with JBMA and make the necessary
arrangements to pick up your child early.
To obtain up to date school closing information, please use the following resources:
1.
View our web page at jbma.org(green light=normal school operations, red light indicates an
urgent message or change in school operations)
2. Watch TV stations Fox 6, NBC 13, ABC 33/40
Sincerely,
Rebecca Little
JBMA Head of School