November 26, 2019
Dear Shaler Area parents/guardians,
With the winter weather season approaching, we want to remind our families of the district’s procedures for delaying or canceling the school day to ensure you can plan accordingly.
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 take into account the current road and weather conditions, temperature and wind chill as well as the day’s forecast. We also consult with the safety coordinators of our contracted bus companies 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 Shaler Area 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 notified to families whenever possible before 6 a.m. and if possible, the night before. However, there are occasions that changing road and weather conditions will necessitate a later decision.
- Families should call the district’s main phone number, 412-492-1200, as the primary source for information. The district’s phone message will be updated to reflect any changes in the district’s schedule, such as a delay or cancellation. Shaler Area School District website, www.sasd.k12.pa.us, also is used to communicate important information such as delays and closings, and a tweet is sent to all @ShalerArea followers in the event of a delay or cancellation.
- Families also can choose to receive texts and/or emails through the www.sasd.k12.pa.us website by signing up for the “Email Newsletter” on the main webpage, adding a cell phone number and/or email address and choosing “school closings.”
- In addition to the main phone number and website, Shaler Area 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 e-mail alerts through the respective television stations.
- Early Dismissal Plans: In the event that Shaler Area 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 information needs to be updated, please inform your child’s/children’s school.
Please remember that parents/guardians always have the final determination as to whether or not to send their child 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.
A note about the Flexible Instructional Day (FID) Program: The Pennsylvania Department of Education approved Shaler Area’s application to participate in the new FID Program. The intent is for Flexible Instructional Days to be used in place of unexpected, emergency school closures to eliminate the need to make-up that day. Shaler Area will not use these days in place of cancellations for inclement weather for the 2019-2020 school year. Additional information on the FID Program, and how and when the school district will use the flex days will be communicated in the coming months. We will not implement the program until January 2020.
Sincerely,
Mr. Sean C. Aiken
Superintendent of Schools