District will call parents if schools close

MAT-SU — A weekend winter snowstorm that blanketed Southcentral in ice and snow also left some parents confused regarding the Mat-Su Borough School District’s policy on school closures and its notification process.

District spokesperson Catherine Esary said some media outlets and parents were confused Monday morning when the Anchorage School District announced it had closed schools for the day, but were left wondering whether the weather had closed Mat-Su schools, too.

“We will call you,” Esary said of the easiest way families can tell if the district cancels classes for the day.

Or, parents may also opt to keep their children home due to weather.

“If you don’t think it is safe, keep your child at home,” Esary said.

If schools are closed, the district will issue a ConnectEd message to all families through its automated notification system. If not all schools are closed, only parents with students attending closed schools will be notified, she said.

However, if schools are open, no announcement will be made to the media or families, Esary said.

The process of deciding whether to close schools begins at 2 or 3 a.m., so any announcement about closing schools will be made as soon after 5 a.m. as possible, she said.

Superintendent Deena Paramo, the Business Services Department — including Pupil Transportation — gather information from Alaska State Troopers, Wasilla and Palmer police departments, state Road Maintenance Department and district personnel or bus drivers who have driven area roads, Esary said.

All of that information is then evaluated against the MSBSD School Board policy — BP 6114 — for school closures.

Superintendent Paramo said safety of students and staff is the main consideration when she decides whether schools should close due to weather conditions.

She also said other factors are considered, such as a limited number of snow days, that parents will need to find childcare or stay home and if a closure will affect the critical, high-stakes testing and assessment calendar set by the state.

If travel conditions are deemed unsafe, Paramo said the district has a number of options that stop short of a district-wide closure, such as delay start times, close some schools, close all schools or the most inclusive closure, to close all district facilities.

Monday, all district schools were open and operating on their regular schedules, Esary said, although some buses ran late.

“Some buses were late, but they all completed their routes safely today,” she said.

In addition to calling parents through its ConnectEd notification system, Esary said the district also posts information about school closings online at matsuk12.us, on its Facebook and Twitter pages and through local media such as the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Or, people may call the district main switchboard at 746-9200.

For more information about local road conditions, visit 511.alaska.gov or call 511.

Contact Heather A. Resz at heather.resz@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.