Pittsylvania County Schools

Pittsylvania County Schools
Inclement Weather Operational Plans

Inclement Weather Operational Guidelines

Pittsylvania County Schools (PCS) provides these operational plans to ensure the safety of students and staff during inclement weather events. Due to the county's large geographic size and varied road conditions, decisions to delay or close schools consider the division as a whole. When inclement weather affects school operations, employees are expected to follow the specific reporting instructions designated by the Division Superintendent under the following operational codes. 

Announcements regarding school closings and delayed openings due to inclement weather are made as early as possible in the morning once it has been determined that road conditions are unsafe. Whenever possible, depending on weather conditions and the status of county roads, a decision will be made and announced the night before. If not announced the night before, a decision will be made and announced as close to 6:00 a.m. as possible. Once announced, changing weather conditions may necessitate a change in the original decision. 
 

Operational Guidelines Chart
In the event that the school schedule is modified due to inclement weather or another event,  the following operational codes will be implemented:


School Closing Codes

Code 0 | Division Closed (All Schools and Offices Closed)
No employees shall report to work. All school activities are canceled.


Code 1 | Schools Closed
Essential administrative personnel, information technology technical staff,  transportation, maintenance, and custodial staff (including 10-calendar-month custodians) should report at their regular time or when road conditions allow.


Code 2 | Schools Closed
Employees working over 200 days (excluding teachers) and 10-calendar-month custodians should report at the regular time or when road conditions allow.


Code 3 | Schools Closed
All employees working over 200 days (excluding teachers) and 10-month custodians report at 10:00 a.m.


Code 4 | Schools Closed
Essential administrative personnel, information technology technical staff, transportation, maintenance, and custodial staff (including 10-calendar-month custodians) should report at 10:00 a.m.


Code 5 | Schools Closed
All employees working over 200 days (excluding teachers) and 10-month custodians report at 12:00 p.m.


Code 6 | Schools Closed
Essential administrative personnel, information technology technical staff, transportation, maintenance, and custodial staff (including 10-calendar-month custodians) should report at 12:00 p.m.


Code 7 | Schools Closed
All staff (including teachers) report, except for bus drivers, bus aides, and cafeteria workers, unless otherwise specified.


2-Hour Delay | Two-Hour Delay
Students and teachers report two hours late; all other staff report at their regular time.


1-Hour Delay | One-Hour Delay
Students and teachers report one hour late; all other staff report at their regular time.


Communication Protocols
In the event that Pittsylvania County Schools are closed or delayed opening, the division will follow one of the operational codes. The information distributed by the division through the media will include the code. Personnel and families are responsible for knowing which code to follow and should therefore listen carefully to the announcements provided by the school notification system, radio, or TV stations in their entirety.

Announcements concerning school closings and delayed openings resulting from inclement weather are made as early as possible after it has been determined that road conditions are unsafe.

Announcements are made using following media in the priority listed:
(1) School Messenger™
(2) Pittsylvania County Schools' website: https://www.pcs.k12.va.us/closings
(3) Local Radio & Television Stations (Note: Some stations do not begin broadcasting or do not have personnel available to answer the telephone prior to 6:00 a.m.; therefore, announcements may be delayed on these stations.)

Essential Personnel Definition
"Essential Administrative Personnel” or “Essential Personnel” includes (but is not limited to) the following roles:
• Division Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent(s), and Associate Superintendent(s)
• Chiefs, Directors, Principals, Assistant Principals, and Supervisors
• Information Technology (IT) Technical Staff
• Transportation, Maintenance, and Custodial personnel (including 10-month custodians)

Early Dismissals and Delayed Openings
Early Dismissals - The following guidelines apply when schools close early due to inclement weather:
1. Teachers and aides will be dismissed after all students have departed for home.
2. Schools' office personnel may leave after all buses have completed their scheduled routes.  

NOTE: When the decision to close schools is made after school has begun for the day, the school board office will notify schools of the early closing using the bus radio or telephone. Parents will be notified using the School Messenger system.

Delayed Openings - The following guidelines apply when schools start late because of inclement weather:
1. The Central Office and school offices will open on the regular schedule unless otherwise announced.
2. Central office and school office personnel will report to work according to their regular schedules. Teachers will report at the time corresponding to the amount of time the school is delayed. (e.g., In the event of a one-hour delay, teachers would report one hour later than they are normally scheduled to arrive.)

Remote Learning Day
A Remote Learning Day is an instructional day where students complete schoolwork from home or another off-campus location, instead of attending class in a physical building.

In the event that Pittsylvania County School initiates a Remote Learning Day, it will be announced along with the operational code for that day. Individual schools will provide asynchronous assignments to students, with modifications and accommodations as appropriate and in accordance with students’ IEPs.

Tornadoes and Other Severe Weather Events
Tornado Watches and Server Thunderstorm Warnings - In the event that the National Weather Service issues a tornado watch or a severe thunderstorm warning, the Superintendent of Schools, the Assistant Superintendent for Operations, and other division-level staff will exercise discretion regarding whether and when buses may leave school for their afternoon routes. The presence of strong winds, thick and/or heavy-looking clouds, and generally unfavorable weather conditions may justify holding all buses at school until conditions improve.

Tornado Warnings - In the event that the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, all buses will remain at their respective schools until the warning status changes.