2022-23 NPSD Inclement Weather Information

Dear North Penn Staff, 

This might be unpopular with some of you, but I have always loved the winter. My favorite memories involve snowfall, skiing, the holidays and family time. I would take a snowy mountain over a sandy beach any day.

But this winter takes on a new meaning as your superintendent. The question is no longer just “do you want to build a snowman?”, but now also includes “should we close school, delay school, close early or call a virtual day?”. As we head into winter, I want to have tentative plans in place for the months ahead and the variety of weather conditions that may impact learning, work days and the safety of this community. 

I believe that there are two types of “snow days.” There are big events that are forecast days in advance, that drop a significant amount of snow in our community and that make driving for our bus drivers, staff members, older students and families dangerous. My plan is to call up to two traditional snow days in these situations so that everyone is safe and they can enjoy a day cleaning off cars, shoveling property and hopefully playing in the snow a bit too. We have two of these types of days built into our calendar without having to extend the school year into an additional week and they may or may not occur in the first two instances of inclement weather. 

The second type of snow day is more challenging to manage. Ice or snow arriving at inconvenient times may also warrant the closing of school. On these days, we may choose to hold classes virtually, in an asynchronous format. We may also choose an asynchronous day after our two traditional snow days are used. Asynchronous means the work can be done at any time during the day and classes will not be held virtually. Our intention is that teachers have enough time now to prepare lessons that can be done at home, asynchronously at times convenient for families and students. We believe that an asynchronous day, though not ideal, is a more equitable opportunity for all students to learn. **In some cases, a limited amount of synchronous time will be required for students.**

How will this work for staff? Asynchronous days are being planned for particular employee groups and are outlined here. It is important to remember that though these types of days allow for flexibility, you are expected to work your required amount of hours. Though much of the information provided in this email is also being shared with families, they will not have the provided outline. Teachers are asked to communicate with their students and families individually with important reminders pertaining to assignments, google classrooms and more when asynchronous days are being used. 

Additionally, when needed, early dismissals and late arrivals may also be used in certain situations. 

Clear communication is imperative during inclement weather, and NPSD will make decisions, when possible, the night before, with the exception of unforeseen weather conditions. We will use our traditional forms of communication in notifying families and staff (School Messenger, npenn.org, NPTV, local media, etc.). We also understand that winter weather can also bring power outages which can impact online learning.  When this happens, exceptions may be made and communicated. 

If you have not already done so, please review your notification preferences, in School Messenger by visiting go.schoolmessenger.com.  For information to create an account, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions. In addition, please make sure your contact information is correct in Infinite Campus. Parents can review their phone numbers and emergency contacts Online Verification. Instructions can be found here

I know many of you are hoping for a mild winter. What is most important to me is a safe winter. For your enjoyment, we created a video (that I hope you watched on North Penn Right Now) about what it’s like on days when we are deciding if we need to close because of weather. Click here to watch.  I hope it makes you smile.

Thank you for your continued support of North Penn schools, staff and students.

Sincerely,

Todd M. Bauer, Ed.D.
Superintendent