Dear Jefferson-Morgan Families,

With the winter weather season approaching (even though it is almost 80 degrees today!), we want to remind our families of the district’s procedures for delaying or canceling the school day to ensure you can plan accordingly and provide information about the district using Flexible Instructional Days in place of canceling classes due to inclement weather.

The safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance to us, so we take the decision to delay or cancel classes very seriously. During a winter weather event, we carefully assess all relevant weather factors, including current road conditions, and the day’s forecast. Our priority is to ensure student safety while striving to provide safe options for getting students to school whenever possible. We also consult with the other county schools, local municipal workers, and our contracted bus company who travel the roads in the district to assess their safety. Please be aware, school delays or cancellations also can occur for other unexpected reasons, such as an area water main break, power outage, or other significant event. Be sure that you have appropriate plans in place in the event the district should need to delay, cancel, or dismiss students early.

While many Jefferson-Morgan families are familiar with the procedures and notifications in place for delays and cancellations, please find the information below for your convenience:

• The decision to delay or cancel school will be made and communicated whenever possible before 6 a.m. and if possible, the night before. However, there are occasions when changing road and weather conditions will necessitate a later decision.
• Jefferson-Morgan School District website,www.jmsd.org, also is used to communicate important information such as delays and closings, as well as the district’s social media.
• Families also can choose to receive texts through our School Messenger System by “opting in” to text alerts. All district families with correct contact information in ALMA should already receive phone calls and emails from ALMA/School Messenger.
• In addition to the website, phone call/text message, social media, and WANB Radio Station, Jefferson-Morgan also notifies three local news stations: KDKA, WPXI, WTAE. Please note that the school district does not control how quickly the information is updated on-air. You may consider signing up for the electronic alerts through the respective television stations.

Early Dismissal Plans: If Jefferson-Morgan would need to dismiss school early, please make sure your family has appropriate childcare arrangements and/or dismissal plans in place. It also is important to be sure that your emergency contact information is current. If the contact information needs to be updated, please call your student’s office to make any necessary changes or contact your student’s school.

Please remember that parents/guardians always have the final determination to send their student to school on any given day. While we strive to make the best possible decisions in the timeframe we are given, unexpected winter weather issues may occur. Thank you to everyone for your support and assistance as we prepare for inclement weather.

Flexible Instructional Days (FID): Jefferson-Morgan will continue to utilize Flexible Instruction Days (FID) in place of unexpected, emergency school closures to eliminate the need to make-up that day. Specifically, Jefferson-Morgan will use these days in place of cancellations for inclement weather for the 2024-2025 school year. Once we have utilized our available Flexible Instructional Days, we may choose to make up missed days in person for various reasons. However, with new school laws, we also have the option to cancel the day entirely.

If the district needs to cancel in-person instruction, all students will participate in remote instruction through their district-issued device or grade level appropriate materials.

• The transition to a Flexible Instruction Day will be announced on the district website, social media, and from school messenger via text, phone call, and email.
• Flexible Instruction Days will operate from 10:00am-2:00pm

Logging in during a Flexible Instruction Day:

• All classes will be asynchronous instruction (with teachers available from 10am-2pm to answer any questions or provide help).
• Each School will take attendance, and there will be requirements for completion of schoolwork.
• The school principal will communicate student expectations and absences procedures

We thank you in advance for your continued support and cooperation as we navigate the upcoming weather in our region.