Sumner County Schools

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This procedure serves to educate the public on what will happen in the event of inclement weather.

EVENT PROCEDURES:

1.    If the county receives inclement weather overnight, the Director of Transportation will begin gathering the latest
available information by 3 a.m. by contacting the following:

Local Media Sources for weather information:

  WKRN 2
  WSMV 4
  WTVF 5

Sumner County Office of Emergency Management National Weather Service

Sumner County Highway Department

Other School Systems - West and Middle Tennessee

Director of Schools by 4:00 a.m. to notify him/her of current weather situations

2.    The Director of Transportation will mobilize the Inclement Weather Team at approximately 3:30 a.m. to begin
checking roads. The Inclement Weather Team is comprised of Transportation staff employees that have access to
system owned vehicles.

3.    The staff will check the roads and then report the conditions to the Transportation Director before 5:00 a.m.

4.    The Director of Transportation will brief the Director of Schools via telephone no later than 5:00 a.m. with a recommendation for his/her approval.  The Director of Schools makes the final decision to dismiss or delay school.

5.    A final decision will be made before 5:30 a.m.

6.    The Director of Transportation or his/her designee will notify the news media of any school closing. The Director of Schools will notify the Community Relations Supervisor of any school closings.

7.    The Community Relations Supervisor will update the Sumner County Schools website and will send out the SchoolMessenger telephone message concerning school closing information by 6:00 a.m.
 

Two-Hour Delay Procedures

1.    A two-hour delay in the start of school day due to inclement weather will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

2.    The Director of Transportation and staff will evaluate conditions and make recommendations as far in advance as possible in order to communicate with schools and the public.

3.    In the event a two-hour delay is decided, school bus drivers will be notified to run their routes on the delayed schedule. All bus routes will run according to the delayed schedule as the weather allows.

4.    The Director of Transportation or his/her designee will contact the news media and notify them of the two-hour delay.

5.    The Community Relations Supervisor will update the website and send out the SchoolMessenger notification of the two-hour delay as soon as possible.

6.    The two-hour delay decision will be based upon current surface conditions and the forecast for the local area.

Early Dismissal Procedures

1.    Early dismissal due to inclement weather will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

2.    The Director of Transportation and staff will evaluate conditions and make recommendations as far in advance as possible in order to communicate with schools and the public.

3.    In the event early release is decided, school bus drivers will be notified to be on standby at their assigned school pending dismissal. All bus routes will run according to the abbreviated schedule as the weather allows.

4.    The Director of Transportation or his/her designee will contact the news media of any early dismissal.

5.    The Community Relations Supervisor will update the website and send out the SchoolMessenger notification of early dismissal as soon as possible.

6.    An early dismissal decision will be based upon current surface conditions and the forecast for the local area.

Rapidly Approaching Weather Evening Dismissal Procedure

1.    In the event of a rapidly approaching storm at school dismissal time, the Director of Transportation may contact bus drivers to notify them to not load buses. All principals should be prepared to keep students in the building and wait for an “all clear.” Due to rapidly approaching weather, especially in the spring, a quick decision may be needed to keep students at school. Under these conditions, the Director of Transportation will notify bus drivers by two-way radio to communicate with principals that buses cannot be loaded until an “all clear” has been established.

2.    The Director of Transportation will notify the Director of Schools that weather conditions exist which will prohibit the normal dismissal of school.

3.    The Director of Schools will make the final decision whether to dismiss school or to hold the buses for student safety.
 

How Will Parents Be Notified of School Closings?

Sumner County Schools always tries to give parents as much notice as possible when closing schools. However, since weather is sometimes unpredictable, it is possible that a decision on closing schools may not be made until the last possible minute.

Sumner County Schools will utilize the district’s website, www.sumnerschools.org, local media outlets, and the SchoolMessenger communication system to notify parents when schools are closed, delayed or dismissing early due to inclement weather.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What factors are considered when making the decision to close or delay schools?
The Director of Schools does not take the decision to close or delay Sumner County Schools lightly. All decisions are made by taking the safety of all Sumner County Schools students and employees into account.

We rely on information received from Emergency Management, National Weather Service, county, city and state police departments and county and city road maintenance departments about conditions of all roads - not just major highways. The Director of Schools, Director of Transportation and Transportation staff drive out and inspect the conditions of roads, school parking lots and bus lanes. The Director of Schools and Director of Transportation also confer with other area school systems before the Director of Schools makes his/her decision.

The following factors are taken into consideration when the Director of Schools is considering a school closure, delay, or early dismissal:
Information on road conditions from our transportation department and local officials Whether the conditions are worsening or improving
Weather forecasts
Temperature and wind-chill factors
Building Conditions, such as parking lots, sidewalks, whether the buildings have electricity, heat and water

When is the decision made to close or delay for the day?
Every effort is made to close or delay school before 5:30 a.m. so we can notify TV and radio stations and post the decision on the school website (www.sumnerschools.org). Also, this gives us ample time to send out the automated SchoolMessenger message.

Why don’t schools close automatically when forecasters predict bad weather?
Because weather predictions are not always consistent or accurate we do not rely solely on forecasts. While we prefer to make our decisions based on visible or reported conditions, we do consider forecasts to determine if conditions are expected to improve or worsen throughout the day. The school district, along with the Emergency Management Agency, monitors a wide variety of forecast sources to get as accurate a prediction as possible.

Why can’t some schools be opened and some closed?
Because of the topography of Sumner County, precipitation varies greatly from Old Hickory Lake to the Kentucky border on the Highland Rim. The school zones in the northern part of the county often see a higher level of precipitation because they are at a higher elevation.

Students in various programs are transported all over the county in any given day. If a portion of the school system were to close while the other portions remained open, we would have students and employees who live in the “closed” area who need to get to schools in the open and vice versa. Buses are used numerous times every day for runs all over the county. A bus in the “closed” portion of the county would still be needed to serve open schools.

Why does Sumner County Schools not run “snow routes?”
A “snow route” usually involves assigning a pick up point that is off a main road that is consistently clear during inclement weather. This is very difficult to do on our rural bus routes, as the main road would likely be several miles from the student’s usual pick-up point. In addition, planning “snow route” pick-up points within our cities would be equally as challenging as many areas lack adequate sidewalk routes for students to safely get from their normal bus stop to the “snow route” pick up point.

What should I do to prepare for a possible school closing/delayed start?
 All families should make arrangements for their children in the event of a closure or delayed start.
Children should know where to go if a parent will not be at home, and how to contact the parent, guardian or another adult with whom there are back-up arrangements. Parent contact information, including work and cell numbers, should be kept up-to-date with the school. Students should be dressed appropriately for the conditions.

How will parents be notified of school closings/delayed start?
Sumner County Schools will utilize the district’s website, www.sumnerschools.org, local media outlets and SchoolMessenger communication system to notify parents when schools are closed, delayed or dismissing early due to inclement weather. SchoolMessenger is an automated call system that delivers messages to parents and employees. If you would like your number added or removed from the SchoolMessenger automated system please notify your child’s school.

I did not receive a call from SchoolMessenger. How do I make sure my information is accurate in SchoolMessenger?
SchoolMessenger uses the same contact information that was provided to the school during school registration. If you did not receive a notification call from our SchoolMessenger system, please contact your school and verify that the contact information on file is correct.

Do you understand how inconvenient it is to arrange child care at the last minute when schools are closed?

Yes, we do. Parents are urged to make arrangements now for the care of their children when schedule changes are made. Children should know the arrangements and the arrangements should be given to the school.

What happens when the number of school days lost due to inclement weather exceeds the number of days planned in the school year calendar?
The School Board with recommendations from the Director of Schools is responsible for developing and implementing a plan to make up for missed days.

Why do schools in states with more snowfall lose fewer days due to inclement weather?
Northern states have more snow clearing capability because of higher average snowfalls making them better equipped to deal quickly with winter weather. Since we seldom get significant amounts of snow, it takes longer for the roadways to be cleared and made safe to transport our children. Because of our average snowfall, there is not a large demand to purchase expensive snow clearing capabilities.

SCS Special Ed Learning Opportunities and Resources

The Special Education Department of the Sumner County Schools is committed to ensure all students with a disability will have access to the knowledge, skills, and values needed to live productive lives.  We provide comprehensive services to help meet the academic, social, behavioral, adaptive, and physical needs of the whole child.  Individualized instruction and student achievement are valued in our system and is evident through the services that are available.  Individual Education Program (IEP) teams at each school consider services based on the unique needs of the student.

Special Education services are available in all schools in Sumner County, including Union STEM Elementary School and Merrol Hyde Magnet School, for children meeting the enrollment criteria. The Sumner County School System does not discriminate against students with disabilities.

"Child Find" is the process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities to ensure that they receive services to which they are entitled. Children who are suspected of having a disability can be referred for a possible evaluation at no cost to determine if they are eligible for special education services. Referrals of children with a suspected delay or disability can be made to your local education agency (school district).

Children participating in Tennessee Early Intervention System will have a transition meeting with your local education agency (school district) scheduled by the service coordinator

To make a developmental or speech/language referral with Sumner County Schools please contact the Preschool Assessment Team by completing this referral form, or call 615-451-6352.

If you think your child between birth and 36 months (age 0 to 3 years) may have a disability and needs an evaluation, please call Tennessee's Early Intervention System (TEIS) at 1-800-852-7157 to make a referral. TEIS will help families locate services for infants and toddlers with disabilities before the child reaches school age.

Eligibility

Early Childhood Special Education addresses individual needs within the context of developmentally appropriate early learning experiences including early literacy, math, play, and social areas. Preschool special education is a state and federally mandated program for children ages three through five who are experiencing challenges in their learning and development and meet eligibility criteria for special education and related services.

Every school district provides special education services to young children. Over 13,000 children in Tennessee receive individualized special education services each year as a part of IDEA 619 Preschool.

• Eligibility for children is determined by criteria that have been established by federal and state rules and regulations.
• Eligible children are entitled to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.
• Each child with a disability has an Individualized Education Program, or IEP. Parents, teachers, therapists, and school administrators make up the IEP team and collaborate to write the IEP. The IEP lists the individual goals for the child and the services the child receives.
• A young child who is determined eligible for special education receives services in the least restrictive environment; children should be educated with non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. This may include a public school, Head Start, a community based child care setting, or the home as determined by the child's IEP team.
• Special education is not a place but a system of services and supports for children with disabilities.

On-Site Speech/Language Therapy

Children with an identified speech impairment and/or language impairment may receive speech/language therapy services in small group sessions.

Program Locations

• Burrus Elementary
• Shalom Zone
• JW Wiseman Elementary
• Westmoreland Elementary

Developmental Pre-Kindergarten

The blended preschool classroom is a structured teaching environment where children with special needs and typically developing peers learn together in a classroom that is staffed by one special education teacher and a minimum of two full-time paraprofessionals.  Our developmental preschool classroom follow the Creative Curriculum to address all areas of child development including fine and gross motor, adaptive, cognitive, communication, and social-emotional.  Our classrooms also use the “Keeping Kids Safe” curriculum which is a personal safety/child abuse curriculum. 

For additional questions, please call 615-451-6352.