DR Weather Related Closures from Dr. Azar

November 18, 2020
Dear DRRSD Families & Staff,

I hope this message finds you and your families well. As you are aware, the 2020‐2021 school year is one like no other. One area that we have had to rethink is school closures due to a multitude of reasons, the obvious one being inclement weather such as a snow storm or resulting power outages due to high winds. Power outages could affect our HVAC systems.

Due to the pandemic, it is vital these systems are operational in order to ensure a safe learning environment. For this year only, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has allowed us to hold school remotely if we need to close school for weather or other related events and still have the day count towards the required 170 school days.

As a result, during the 2020‐2021 school year any day that I declare a school closure day will be a day of remote learning for all students and school buildings will be closed. Teachers will engage with students online utilizing a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous learning. Preschool and students in high needs programs who typically come into school for in‐person learning will instead engage in remote learning with their teacher(s). Any work assigned during a snow day will have a flexible due date of 3‐5 days after the weather event.

We recognize that DRRSD families and staff may have issues with power outages during weather events. If this is the case, please do not worry. We all need to have patience and understanding in the event of a power outage. If possible, we ask that families please try to communicate with their child’s teacher(s) and/or school if they find themselves without power or internet access.

As we enter the winter months, we do ask parents to please monitor the weather for any predicted storms and always have a backup child care plan should in‐person School not be possible. We will make every effort to make a decision on whether to hold in‐person learning or a remote learning day as soon as possible. However, making this decision the night before is not always feasible due to changing weather patterns and/or other extenuating circumstances.

In these cases, a final decision may not be made until the following morning. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding in regards to these matters. As always, we appreciate your support and understanding.

Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony Azar