School Closings

[Familyof4lovesDW]

Does your school system call you when your school is closed? We just got the call and I wondered if other areas did that as well. It is a recorded call from the superintendant. I remember when I was in school and you had to wait for your school to come up on the bottom of the tv (no internet then). You would change channels to get to the one that was closest to the letter your school district started with, then call your friends.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

Our school system started using Parent Link recorded calls last year for important announcements, including when school is closing early or will be closed the following day. It works really well. They set the system up to make the calls to parents before the media is notified.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm not sure if it is area wide, but in Central Florida--school closures are released through the media for Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings. None of my friends have ever mentioned receiving a phone call. And usually, everyone is anticipating it anyway. Of course--this is only a problem from Aug-Oct/Nov when school is in session during hurricane season.

The last time I had snow days was the early 80s in Pennsylvania and we listened to the radio.

 

[Pikester]

I'm from NH and our school district just started this year with the recorded calling. I love it! The phone rings about 5:30AM. I pick up the phone by my bed, hear them say school is closed, hang up and go back to sleep. The only problem I have is that my DS12 has his alarm set for 6:20AM so I either let his alarm go off and then tell him school is closed or go in and tell him as soon as I get the phone call.

 

[eowensby]

We've started getting text messages along with calls at home. It's fabulous!

 

[tylerdylansmom]

I get called if they close school early or if they decide to close school the day before. All last week I got a call at 2:30 saying school would be closed the next day. Our school has a channel and we can go there and see it scroll across the bottom of the screen. We can also go online and see it.

 

[lovesmurfs]

We are fully notified (Chicago suburb). Phone call at home, DH and my cell phones, and email messages, all at nearly the same time. They also do the same for DS's "near failure" every week (we're having quite the challenge with HS algebra...).

 

[MariDisney]

We are in the Philadelphia area. No calls from the school district. We can look on the website or a list of closing and delays will be scrolled through the late evening and morning newscasts on the bottom of the screen.

 

[N.Bailey]

The school contacts no one directly for cancellations, early dismissals, or delays. We can watch CBS or NBC, or we can hop online to our local TV station for updates. I think the radio stations still make these announcements too, but we've never utilized that method.

 

[golfgal]

Our schools just started using a call notification system. I am not sure if they use it for school closing since we haven't had one since they started using it but they are using it for other things like when our school population hit the 5% limit that the state set for notification of kids out with H1N1.

 

[phorsenuf]

Our school does the automated call system too. They just started this year (NH). Problem is they call staff (me) at 5 and students(my kids) around 6. I really don't need 2 calls. Just as I finally fall back to sleep I get the 2nd call. Can't seem to get off that student list.

 

[SaraJayne]

Our district uses TV, radio or local news websites...no direct notifications.

Though they just recently started a twitter account that has that info posted about 5 mins before they release it to the media.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

yes, we just started getting those (along with email), for closings and all other major announcements.

However, we haven't had to use it much for weather closings this year. It is nice to get a call while you are still in bed and not have to get up and check the TV!!! Our schools almost never announce the night before.

 

[Sparx]

when i was in high school, we started getting an automated telephone call.

now, if the university is opening late, they send an automated text to my phone. (they do this for everything tough, like weather alerts, or campus crime)

 

[mrsmom]

Does your school system call you when your school is closed? We just got the call and I wondered if other areas did that as well. It is a recorded call from the superintendant. I remember when I was in school and you had to wait for your school to come up on the bottom of the tv (no internet then). You would change channels to get to the one that was closest to the letter your school district started with, then call your friends.

Yes , Our school district started calling last year.We just got the call No school tomorrow!!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

My school (I'm a teacher) has the automated phone system and it's also posted on the website. We also tend to call each other to check we each got the message!

We have had 4 days this year with modified schedules....none for snow.

 

[tonilea]

Our program is called School Reach and I love it! Now if I could just train MIL to NOT call when she discovers there is no school, I could get an extra bit of sleep!

 

[aristocatz]

I WISH our school system had an automated call system for school closings!

Even if it was a phone number to call and get an automated message.

We have to rely on the TV & local news websites. I work for a very poor school district. I'm not sure if this is the reason why they don't have an automated call service, but I don't think so because we do have an automated call service for reminders about large school events.

 

[daughtersrus]

Our school district also uses parent link as well as posting it online and on all of the major radio and tv stations. we're in a suburb of chicago.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Our school uses something called the honeywell system. We get home call, cell call, email and text.