As we begin to see snow and ice in the forecast it's worth reminding everyone of the procedures that the school district uses.

The school district works in conjunction with all 10 township and city road commissioners, along with regional administration, and the transportation department in order to make a decision.

The options available are:

• One hour delayed start (9:00 am start time)

• Two hour delayed start (10:00 am start time)

• Cancellation of school entirely

• Early dismissal of school (dependent on weather conditions)

Regardless of the option chosen when weather is bad the transportation patterns will be disrupted. Please use parental judgement on bus stop adjustments. Bus drivers will be flexible and do their best to accommodate, but can not be burdened with special requests as their attention must be focused on navigating the road conditions.

When delayed starts occur the traditional breakfast program is not offered, before school care and activities are cancelled, there is no AM Bright Futures, and no early arrivals are allowed.

While rare, there may be significant enough weather conditions to warrant an early dismissal. This notification will go out immediately and every reasonable effort will be made to confirm student drop off locations. When an early dismissal is enacted because of weather conditions all students must leave campus at the designated dismissal time. There is no after school care or activities.

In the event of school cancellation, presume all activities and events associated with the school are cancelled. Special communication will occur if that is not the case.

The school district will make the decision as soon as possible in order to give families as much advanced notice in order to make necessary arrangements for their children. The absolute final time for an adjustment to the school day to occur is 6:00 am. If you have not received a notification by 6:00 am, then you are to proceed with a normal school day schedule.

The district will communicate with families via a School Messenger phone call to the primary and secondary phone numbers listed in Skyward for every student in the district. It may be beneficial for parents to log into their Family Access and check their Skylert contact numbers. It may also be beneficial to check with your Internet Service Provider to add "dist265.com" to your Safe Sender list. This will ensure that these mass emails are not blocked from your Inbox. 

All employees will receive the message to their primary phone only. If the phone number has voice mail capabilities then a message will be left. In most instances there will be no one at the school early in the morning to answer the phone if the weather is bad. So please do not call the school to inquire. The district will also notify local news media outlets once the decision has been made.

Regardless of whether school is on delayed start or in session, when the weather forecast is unfavorable it is always best to take a proactive approach. Ensure your child leaves the home with a heavy coat, boots, gloves, hat, scarf, etc. The school district works in conjunction with our transportation provider to ensure that the school buses are of a tolerable temperature, but they do not warm like a personal vehicle does. If you have student who is of driving age, it would be beneficial to review good practices and habits for this time of year.

Dr. Zac Chatterton
Superintendent of Schools
Farmington Central CUSD#265
212 N. Lightfoot Rd.
Farmington, Il 61531
(309) 245-1000
Twitter: @zchatterton