FILE:  EBBD

emergency SCHOOL CLOSING AND CANCELLATION

General

From time to time, it may be necessary to start the school day late, end the school day early, or close one or all schools and/or district offices because of an emergency such as power failure, hazardous weather conditions, or severe transportation difficulties.  Set forth herein are general guidelines that apply in such emergency situations.  Additional details, if deemed necessary, will be issued by the Superintendent or his/her designee at the time of such emergency closings.  Information regarding pay practices for an emergency closing will be issued by the Superintendent or his/her designee.  In the case of a pandemic or other wide-spread health emergency, or in the case of an emergency closing longer than two days, special policies regarding leave, pay practices, and other related policies may be announced by the Superintendent or his/her designee and/or the School Board. 

Authorization to Close

Authority to close any or all schools and/or district offices, dismiss early, or delay start times because of an emergency rests with the Superintendent.  The decision to close, dismiss early, or start late shall be made after consultation with transportation officials, emergency management, weather authorities, and/or other agencies as necessitated by the circumstances.  If students have reported to school and an emergency arises during the school day, students may be dismissed early.  Such dismissal shall only be by direction of the Superintendent.  In the event of dismissal during the school day, all employees at the school and district level are to continue their work unless otherwise notified by the Superintendent.  In cases where students are dismissed early, teachers are expected to supervise all students under their jurisdiction until they have departed from the school campus.  Each school shall follow its Crisis Management and Response Plan when applicable.

Notification

School and/or district office closings, delayed start, and early dismissal announcements will be posted on the School Board’s website and communicated to parents, staff, and students utilizing an appropriate means of electronic communication as soon as possible following a decision by the Superintendent to do so.  The Superintendent or his/her designee shall also notify the School Board members of his/her decision.  Public announcements and releases to the news media shall be made or approved by the Superintendent.

The Superintendent or his/her designee shall notify all principals of emergency closure decisions.

Bus operators will be notified by the Transportation Department of any decision to dismiss schools early.  On days when severe weather threatens, bus operators should also monitor the news media for any announcements of early dismissal.  Unless directed otherwise, immediately upon notification of the closing of schools, all bus operators shall report to their schools in the same manner as a regular dismissal day.  It is the responsibility of all bus operators to keep their phone numbers at home and work current in the Employee Services Department.

Variations in Emergency Situations

Emergencies may vary in their effect upon employees and district and school operations on different shifts and at different locations.  For example, the Superintendent may determine that the circumstances only require the closure of one school.  Each emergency situation shall be evaluated and a decision made on the basis of the specific conditions or forecasts at the time at the particular location(s).

Essential Employees

Certain essential services are required to be maintained in any given emergency closing. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall clearly identify those who are considered essential employees in an emergency situation, what their obligations are, and establish procedures to let those employees know whether and when they will be required to work.  The employees required for these essential services are excused from work during an emergency closing only with the specific authorization of their supervisors.  Failure to report to work during emergencies by employees required for essential services may be cause for disciplinary action.

Unless considered an essential employee or in other exceptional situations, other employees generally will not be required to report to work on-site during an emergency closure.

Payment During Emergency Closing

Since the nature and effect of an emergency situation may vary, the pay policy to be followed may also vary.  Usually, pay policies cannot be announced until after return from the emergency closing because of the need to assess the effect of the emergency.  Principals and other supervisors shall not make any commitment to employees about emergency closing pay until after the pay policy has been announced by the Superintendent.

An emergency closing is not in the nature of a holiday, and holiday pay policies do not apply. All employees do not necessarily receive an equal amount of time off or additional pay relative to emergency closings.  An employee absent for any reason, including vacation, sick leave (whether paid as regular sick leave, extended sick leave, or a sabbatical), or any other authorized leave, with or without pay, receives no time off or pay for an emergency closing.

Payment of Employees on Fixed or Variable Schedules During an Emergency Closing

Employees regularly scheduled to work a fixed number of hours on a day of an emergency closing, late start, or early dismissal may be paid for their regularly scheduled hours, consistent with this policy and any specific pay announcement for the emergency closing.

Employees who work a variable schedule and who are allowed to leave their work site early due to an early dismissal may be paid until the end of their normal workday.  In no case shall an employee on a variable schedule receive payment for emergency closing if including those hours causes him/her to exceed his/her number of normally scheduled hours for the week.

MAKEUP DAYS

Depending on the number of days of emergency closing, the School Board, upon the Superintendent’s recommendation, will determine whether employees will be required to make up calendar days or instructional time missed due to an emergency.  If it is determined that make-up days or time is required, a schedule identifying same will be issued.

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81

Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators, Bulletin 741, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 5-17-89, 4-2-03, 11-4-15, 3-9-22

Lafayette Parish School Board