Overview—Emergency School Closings, Early Dismissals, and Delayed Openings

On occasion, it may be necessary to dismiss students early, delay the opening of schools, or close schools for the day because of unpredictable weather conditions, hazardous roads, and other potential hazards. If this should occur, the Associated Press (AP) will be notified immediately.

Radio and television stations (listed on page 10 in the Parent Handbook and School Calendar) will also be individually contacted. If possible, decisions will be made the preceding evening regarding school closings or delayed openings. Principals and staff will be advised through television and radio stations, and notification will be made on schoolsout.com, a free service that sends emails about announcements to subscribers. Announcements will also be placed on the system's voice mail and on the 24-hour information line. If schools must close early, central office staff will notify all principals and school bus contractors according to the attached procedures. These procedures will remain in effect until superseded by new or revised procedures. 

24-hour information line numbers are 301-934-7410 and 301-932-6656. 

If necessary, school openings will be delayed one or two hours in order to permit buses to run their routes under safer conditions. This delay will allow time for road crews to clear highways. It also allows time for motorists to get to work, thereby clearing roads of heavy traffic and providing greater safety for students.  Every effort will be made to make this decision by 5:30 a.m. In the event of an early dismissal from school due to weather conditions, all afternoon and evening meetings and activities scheduled in the schools are automatically canceled.  All high school activity buses are canceled and will not run. 

2 Hour Delayed Bell Schedule
                                      

9:30 – 10:00	Period 1
10:00 – 10:10	Homeroom
10:15 – 10:45	Period 2
10:50 – 11:20	Period 3
11:25 – 11:55	Period 4 (A lunch)
12:00 – 12:30	Period 5 (B lunch)
12:35 – 1:05	Period 6 (C lunch)
1:10 – 1:40	Period 7 (D lunch)
1:45 – 2:15	Period 8