September, 2018                                   

Dear Parents,

With school now in full swing, it is once again that time to notify you of our district procedures for canceling, delaying, or dismissing school early for emergencies or severe weather.  Recognizing the hardship for families when unexpected schedule changes occur, we make every attempt to make decisions as early as possible.  While we can’t always predict the exact timing of severe weather on our operations, we try to get information relayed through our One Call Now system, on our website, local radio and television stations, and official District social media immediately after the decision is reached.  Please make sure that you report any change in your primary telephone number to your child’s school or make the change through the PowerSchool Parent Log-in, so that we may contact you in the event of an emergency situation. Sometimes there is a delay between our call to news/radio stations and the actual posting of the information.  You are encouraged to check more than one station if the weather is questionable.

TWO-HOUR DELAYS

In the event of a two-hour delay, all students including preschool and kindergarten will report on the schedule outlined below.  B.A.S.E. childcare will be available for registered students from 8:30 a.m. until the start of school.  In the event that school is canceled after the announcement of a two-hour delay, the B.A.S.E. program will be closed.

Two-hour delay start schedule:

     Butler High School:                            9:45 a.m. (Exam weeks create exceptions)

     Morton Middle School:                       9:30 a.m.

     Smith Middle School:                        10:30 a.m.

     Demmitt Elementary (grades 1-3)     11:00 a.m.

     Helke Elementary (grades 1-3)         11:00 a.m.

     A.M. Kindergarten                             11:00 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.

     P.M. Kindergarten                              1:40 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

     A.M. Preschool                                  11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

     P.M. Preschool                                   1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

     CTC                                                    9:40 a.m.

     ESC East                                           10:05 a.m.   

     ESC West                                           9:45 a.m.

Bus transportation will be delayed two hours including buses for PRIVATE/PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, with the exception of bus transportation for P.M. kindergarten, which will run one hour later than normally scheduled.  Dismissal times remain unchanged.                                                              

EARLY DISMISSALS

In the rare event that weather conditions deteriorate during the course of the day and an early dismissal is warranted, parents will receive a phone notification as noted above.

In the event of an early dismissal, there will be no B.A.S.E.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS

School closings affect ALL VANDALIA-BUTLER SCHOOLS, B.A.S.E. PROGRAM, AND BUSES.  Transportation WILL NOT BE PROVIDED TO AND FROM PRIVATE/PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS ON DAYS THAT VANDALIA-BUTLER SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE A SCHOOL CLOSING.  Weather conditions for afternoon and evening activities will be evaluated by mid-afternoon and cancellations or changes will be announced.

Safety of your child is the number one consideration when we make the decision to close, delay, or dismiss school early.  We utilize information from public safety sources; firsthand driving of roads; the amount of snow, ice, or fog; and weather forecasts and alerts, among other factors.  Thank you in advance for your help with these schedule changes as they occur.

Sincerely,

Robert M. O’Leary

Superintendent of Schools