School Closings, Delays and Dismissals
Many factors go into the decision to alter school operating hours due to weather conditions or other unexpected circumstances. District administrators physically check road conditions, consult with county and state road crews and emergency management teams, and monitor National Weather Service and local meteorologists reports.
The safety of our students and staff is always a priority when making a decision that impacts normal school operations. The final decision to close, delay or dismiss early is made by the superintendent, director of facilities, transportation staff and other administrators.
Parent Communication
The district’s goal is to communicate decisions concerning weather-related delays or cancelations 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. It is very important that parents and staff members 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.
Nontraditional Instruction Days (NTI Days)
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), under KRS 158.070 Section 9, has approved the district’s use of up to ten nontraditional instruction days (NTI Days) each school year. NTI Days allow teachers to deliver quality instruction to students during days when school is not in session due to unforeseen circumstances, including snow days. These days count toward our 175 required instructional calendar days and do not need to be made up. Therefore, make up days are no longer included in our school calendar.
We place an extremely high value on classroom instruction; therefore, we use NTI Days judiciously. The use of NTI Days is announced through our regular communication channels, along with school closure information.