Snow Day Policies & Procedures

District-wide closure

Blackboard Connect Notification – On snow days the Blackboard Connect system will be used to contact district-wide contacts that school will be closed. The superintendent, business manager, or administrative assistant will create and/or record the message to parents, staff, and other contacts. 

Individual school early closure

Blackboard Connect Notification– On snow days the Blackboard Connect system will be used to contact city-wide (Glendo, Wheatland, or Chugwater) contacts that school will be closed. The principal, after consultation with the Superintendent, will contact the Administrative Assistant to create and/or record messages to parents, students, and staff. 

Staffing Considerations

Custodial staff and other 12-month central office staff will be required to report, if possible. Hourly employees should consult with the immediate supervisor if they are unable to report to work. Hourly employees will not be compensated for the time missed during snow days. Contracted employees able to report, but not reporting will be required to use personal, vacation time or accept as unpaid. Employees unable to report due to weather or road conditions will not have to use personal or vacation days and will be paid their contracted rate of pay. Custodians will be working on these days.

Certified staff making a personal determination to leave early will be required to use personal or vacation time. Staff affected by impending road closures will not be required to use personal or vacation time. All staff requesting to leave early should consult with their immediate supervisors to attain a substitute.

General considerations of determining paid vs. unpaid: The basic determination of whether an employee will be paid vs. unpaid is whether the situation or decision is in the hands of the employee. Example: (1) Employees who need to leave early while school is still in session will have the time deducted from their personal days or vacation days. (2) If an employee cannot report to work due to I-25 or other road closure, it is out of the employee's hands and will not be docked personal or vacation time. (3) If an employee is on a road that is open (plowed or drivable), but chooses not to clear their driveway and therefore cannot report to work will be required to use personal or vacation time.

Make-up days

The current Wyoming State Statute on school calendars states:

Wyoming State Statute

21‑4‑301.  Schools to be free and accessible to all children; minimum school year.

Each school district shall operate its schools and its classes for a minimum of one hundred seventy‑five (175) days each school year unless an alternative schedule has been approved by the state board.  Prior to submission of a proposed alternative schedule to the state board, the board of trustees shall hold at least two (2) advertised public meetings within the district, at which the board shall present the proposed alternative schedule and respond to public questions and comments.  Any school district operating under an alternative schedule shall annually evaluate the effectiveness of that schedule in meeting the educational goals and purposes for which the schedule was adopted.

Chapter 22 of WDE ‘WY Rules and Regulations’

SCHOOL DAY

Section 4. Definitions.

(a) “Alternative Schedule”. Any schedule approved by the State Board of Education under the procedures outlines in Chapter XXI of these Rules and Regulations.

Section 5. School Day.

• The Board of Trustees of each local school district shall establish by policy the length of a school day for kindergarten, elementary, middle/junior high, and secondary school programs. Local board policy may exceed the minimum hours established by these rules. Local board policy may also provide for an adjusted school/hour/day schedule for staff development, teacher planning, community involvement, and similar professional and development activities without written notification to and authorization by the State Board of Education (SBE) or the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE).

In no case, however, may applicable pupil/teacher contact time be less than the minimums for hours set out in subsections (i) through (iv) below. (Deviation from the following minimums require that an alternative schedule be filed with the WDE for prior approval by the SBE; see Chapter XXI, Alternative Schedules for related information.) School/hour/day schedules must be reflected and described in the district calendar submitted to WDE, as well as in any accreditation reports. The minimum annual student-teacher contact time for Wyoming public schools (kindergarten through grade 12) shall be:

(i) Kindergarten. A minimum of 450 hours.

(ii) Elementary. A minimum of 900 hours.

(iii) Middle School/Junior High. A minimum of 1050 hours.

(iv) Secondary. A minimum of 1100 hours.

Section 6. Saturday/Sunday Classes.

(a) Saturdays or Sundays may not be used as days taught unless written permission has been granted by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Such permission may be granted to make up days when school is dismissed because of emergency situations beyond the control of the school authorities, provided no religious minority is disadvantaged thereby.

Our current calendar does allow for built-in snow days and we are required by WDE to submit an alternative schedule changing student contact days if necessary.

If you have questions or concerns regarding the district snow day procedures please contact Superintendent Cory J. Dziowgo 307-322-3175 or cory.dziowgo@platte1.org