EFWMA’s  Response to Inclement Weather School Closing Procedure

During extreme weather conditions, East Fort Worth Montessori Academy will continue to prioritize our students and staff's safety and welfare. District and campus administrative leaders will continuously monitor weather conditions and forecasts.

Contingency plans are prepared to address any possible adverse conditions resulting from inclement weather. The district's and campus staff work diligently to provide a safe, positive, and comfortable learning and working environment by taking the following measures:

• To determine school closings, district and campus administrative staff will monitor weather conditions throughout the day or night. If conditions are questionable during the early morning hours, staff will continue to monitor major travel roads for reports on conditions. Usually, a decision to cancel school will be made before 5 a.m. so that school closures can be communicated to the media, staff, parents, and guardians. Sometimes it is difficult to cancel school if adverse conditions do not exist before 5 a.m. For this reason, staff will use weather radar data from the Internet to determine if deteriorating weather conditions are on the way.

• To keep the temperature in the facilities comfortable for student and staff arrivals, the facilities maintain an average operating temperature to prevent a drastic fall during extreme weather. Implementing this measure also protects the plumbing and fire systems within the buildings. For energy savings, temperature set points will adjust to more cost-efficient settings as soon as the extreme weather passes.

• To keep exterior entrances safe, the maintenance staff will monitor and apply materials to clear entrances when necessary.

• To help ensure the continued safety and comfort of our students and staff, the district's maintenance staff is on alert to respond to calls related to the weather.

• To ensure that buildings do not cause damage after inclement weather, the maintenance staff will do a scheduled walk through the building the following weekend. By monitoring the buildings, the staff can rapidly respond to any damage and make immediate repairs to ensure that any possible damage does not negatively impact instruction delivery or jeopardize the safety of our students and staff.

Students' and staff's safety is most important. The standard procedure at EFWMA is not to close school early once students are in attendance. District and campus officials will continuously monitor weather conditions. If weather conditions make it necessary for EFWMA to close school, the campus will directly communicate with families using the contact information provided during enrollment. The district will also communicate with news outlets about closures.

The school is operating on its regular schedule. When no announcement is made, the campus will send an email reminder to families.