ZCSD School Closings, Delays and Notifications
About School Closure Decisions and Notifications
The decision to delay or close schools is never taken lightly. Losing valuable instructional time for our students and inconveniencing parents/guardians makes school closure a difficult decision, but ultimately the safety of our students and staff is paramount. Our district constantly monitors the weather and maintains contact with surrounding school districts as well as state, parish, and city officials/agencies. Our transportation department (First Student) also weighs in as their supervisors survey road conditions that buses will travel.
It is our long-standing practice to remain open as long as roads are safe, open and predicted to remain so. In the event of inclement weather, the decision to open or close schools will be made as soon as possible and before the school day unless something unforeseen happens. This will be communicated to staff, parents, and the media as soon as a decision is made.
If a delayed start or early dismissal is the decision, we will provide you with information and a modified schedule associated with that plan.
When schools must dismiss early or are closed for the day, all after-school activities are canceled, and school buildings are not available for after-school activities. All school Extended Day Programs are unavailable as well.
We understand that changes to our school schedule greatly impact families, and we make every effort to inform you of delays and closures with as much advance notice as possible. Please know that we always have our families in mind and are trying to move quickly for your convenience, but safety remains our top priority.
Communicating Closures:
The ZCSD will communicate official school closures to families using:
- ZCSD text messaging system
- posting it on the ZCSD website homepage slider (zacharyschools.org)
- posting it on our ZCSD Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ZacharySchools), and all ZCSD schools’ Facebook pages.
- local media
All serve as official notifications from the ZCSD.
No announcement means normal operations for that day.
Please note that some technology may be faster than others. Large text notifications to all families in the district can be delayed and sometimes vary by carrier. If you receive a ZCSD text that states: EMERGENCY, that may mean it was pushed out for you to receive it as quickly as possible and not be an actual emergency. This feature cannot be changed at this time.
Schools will resume normal operations the next day unless you are officially notified otherwise by the district.
Reasons for Weather-related School Closure
When weather is forecasted that could impact the safety of our staff and students when traveling to school, while at school, or their return home from school, we actively assess the situation as the forecast develops. The ZCSD remains in contact with neighboring school districts, monitors the National Weather Service reports, and communicates with the parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
We look closely at the timing of the severe weather when it is predicted to affect our area, and how it will impact staff and students getting to/from school.
Heavy rains which cause flooding, ice on the roads, high winds, extremely low temperatures, and low wind chill factors are all forecasts that we take seriously. Buses and parents on the roads, students waiting for buses in below-freezing temperatures, potential flooding, power outages, and weather-induced damage to our facilities are all factors in school closure/delay decisions. Many of our dedicated staff commute from outside of Zachary as well.
ZCSD Continuous Learning Plan
In certain cases, schools may be closed for only one or multiple days due to prolonged severe weather or facility damage (outages, etc.) sustained during a severe weather event.
To alleviate the effects of losing valuable instructional time with students, a continuous learning plan will be implemented by each school. Students will have relevant, asynchronous lessons that they can complete at home. Our goals are to provide opportunities for continuous learning while away from school and to minimize the need for makeup days.
As parents/guardians, we want you to be aware and prepared that certain situations might arise that necessitate a shift to remote learning. Your student(s) will be equipped with what they need to successfully complete the assignments away from school.
If a school closure is warranted, you will be made aware if students will engage in asynchronous learning provided by their schools or not. Any remote learning materials sent home with students are to be used only when instructed.
Please refer to our comprehensive district Continuous Learning Plan for multiple scenarios:
Thank you for your continued patience and support as we work together as a community to keep everyone safe.
Contact
Mandy Bradley, Communications Specialist