January is here, which means we are officially heading into the winter weather season! We want to be sure all of our families and employees are prepared for the possibility of school cancellations due to inclement weather, so we’ve provided the information below, including how we will communicate with you if our schools need to close due to the weather.
Inclement Weather Procedures
As a reminder, in the event of winter storms or severe winter weather, school cancellation alternatives within Bardstown City Schools will be as follows:
- Hold school as normal
- No school in Bardstown City Schools
- Non-traditional Instruction (NTI) Day, also known as virtual learning
- Early release due to expected weather
For additional information on how decisions are made please visit here.
Parent Communication
The district’s goal is to communicate decisions concerning weather-related delays or cancellations by approximately 6:30 a.m. Because weather forecasts and conditions often change overnight, final determinations are typically made the morning in question.
As soon as a decision is made to cancel, delay, or dismiss schools, an announcement is posted on the Bardstown City Schools Facebook and Instagram accounts. The information is also communicated immediately to Louisville television stations, including WDRB, WLKY, WHAS 11, and WAVE 3. Local news stations, including The Kentucky Standard, PLG 13, and WBRT are also notified.
A phone message is sent by the district’s automated alert system. Delivering the message to the entire district typically takes five to ten minutes. Parents and staff members must keep their contact information up-to-date with the school office.
In addition, Bardstown Early Childhood Education Center and Bardstown Child Care will communicate schedule changes through their individual social media accounts and texts.
Communication Test
In anticipation of potential winter weather delays and cancellations, BCS will conduct a test of its Communication System on Tuesday, January 9 at 4:30 pm. A TEST phone call and text message will be sent to all families and employees who have phone numbers listed in Infinite Campus. Your information must be accurate inside of Infinite Campus Parent Portal to receive these messages.
For those who receive the test messages, no action will be needed other than saving the numbers as “BCS” for future use. Those who do not receive the messages are asked to contact your school secretary.