School Closing Information
School Closings and Evacuations
Inclement weather, hazardous road conditions, power outages or other incidents may require the closing of school. However, strict state requirements govern the number of hours of education for public school students. The state provides up to 30 hours for inclement weather/emergency closings. We are required to make up any additional hours. With student safety as our first priority, every effort is made to avoid school closings when possible. In bad weather, the decision to close school is made after:
Road conditions are tested by the District Transportation Department,
Weather conditions are examined (weather advisories, storm patterns, temperature, etc.),
Oakland County Road Commission’s ability to plow area roads is determined, and
The condition of school driveways and parking lots are assessed.
The Superintendent closes school based on the severity of these items coupled with our ability to transport students safely.
When the District closes school or releases students early, we notify the local TV news stations; radio stations WJR (760), WHMI (93.5FM), WWJ (950AM) and WKQI (95.5FM). You can check the District Hotline (248-684-8282) or online via our District Home Page. You will also be notified via Skylert (Skyward Family Access). Please do not call your child’s school.
Power outages, gas leaks and even storms may require evacuation during the school day to ensure the safety of your children. An evacuation may involve moving students to another building. Under these conditions, Michigan law allows districts the authority to move children to a place of safety without parental permission. In addition, Huron Valley Schools’ policy prohibits sending elementary and middle school students home in the middle of the day. Our procedures are as follows:
Elementary and middle school students will be transported by Huron Valley Schools trained bus drivers to an alternate location with their teachers
Instructional activities will continue at the new location
Lunch will be provided, if necessary
Staff will initiate a fan out to notify parents of the situation, if the building has one
If possible, students will be transported back to their school for instruction for the remainder
of the day and regular dismissal
If students cannot be returned to the building:
Parents who choose to pick up their student(s) must come to the alternate location to
check them out.If safe to do so, walkers will be transported back to their school to walk home at the end
of the day or they may be picked at the new location.Bus riders will be taken from the new location directly to their route home at the end of
the day.
For specific building evacuation procedures, please contact your building principal.
Inclement Weather Guidelines
There are several principles that guide our decision-making with regard to school closings. First and foremost, however, is the safety of our students and staff.
On days when inclement weather occurs, we try our best to make the call by 5:30 a.m. to provide as much time as possible for families to be notified so that arrangements may be made for childcare, etc. Once the decision is made to cancel school we inform parents via the Detroit media, email, Skylert, our website and Facebook page. Decisions regarding school closings due to snow and ice are made after HVS transportation staff make a recommendation regarding the ability of our buses and drivers to safely conduct their routes. It is possible that main roads will be drivable while our many miles of unpaved roads are not. We will close school if the air temperature with wind chill is expected to be at or below -25 degrees Fahrenheit while students are waiting for the bus or walking to school. As always, we encourage our students to dress in layers to protect themselves from the cold.
Huron Valley Recreation and Community Education Programs
Recreation and Community Education programs will always follow the same schedule as the schools. If Huron Valley Schools are closed, Recreation and Community Education programs will be canceled and patrons will be notified.
Huron Valley Pools and Fitness Facilities (including land & water fitness classes)
If schools are closed after 4 a.m., Pools and Fitness facilities will be open and fitness classes will take place as scheduled. If school is canceled prior to 4 a.m. due to inclement weather, Pools and Fitness facilities will be closed as well. This also means fitness classes are canceled. If school is closed due to temperatures, Pools and Fitness will remain open as usual and classes will take place as scheduled. On days that our Pools and Fitness facilities are closed, it is often the case that driving conditions improve by mid-day. If that is the case, facilities will open at 1 p.m. and fitness classes will continue as scheduled. An update regarding the status of the facilities will be posted to the school district's website and Facebook page, as well as the Pools & Fitness Facebook page and the Huron Valley Recreation and Community Education website.