Snow Day Survival Guide

Snow day survival guide

At Goshen Local Schools, student safety is our first priority.  Winter weather events are taken seriously, and with a strict focus on student safety.

The purpose of the Snow Day Survival Guide is to ensure that Goshen students and families have a complete understanding of how Goshen Local Schools approaches weather-related closings and delays.

When winter weather threatens...

In the event of inclement weather, Goshen will take all steps necessary to insure the safety of our students.

  • District administration and transportation personnel pay close attention to all weather forecasts.

  • Road conditions and developing weather reports are monitored throughout the early morning hours any time there is a threat of inclement weather.

  • In the event that road and weather conditions pose a threat to the safety of our students, Goshen will implement either a two hour delay or a school closing.

Two hour delay guidelines

In some instances, delaying two hours allows road crews and sunlight time ensure that all routes are safe for transportation to school.  In these situations, Goshen will implement a two hour delay for all buildings and grade levels.  In the event of a two hour delay, school start times are as follows.

  • Goshen High School (grades 9 - 12) starts at 9:30am.

  • Goshen Middle School (6-8) starts at 9:20am.

  • Spaulding Elementary School (3-5) starts at 10:30am.

  • Marr/Cook Elementary School (Pre-2) starts at 10:40am.

School closing guidelines

Any time road and weather conditions do not appear to be changing or will clearly be unsafe throughout the day, Goshen will implement a school closing.

In some instances, a two hour delay will be implemented, but the weather and road conditions will not improve enough to ensure student safety.  In these situations, a two hour delay will escalate to a school closing.

Early release guidelines

Very rarely, weather conditions will worsen dramatically after school has already begun for the day.  In the event that remaining at school will cause unsafe conditions for traveling home, Goshen will implement an early release.

Update your student's early dismissal plan in Final Forms

Every student has an early dismissal plan in Final Forms. Please take a moment to make sure your plan is up to date.

To check your child’s early dismissal plan, log in to Final Forms.

Click Update Forms (1), then Transportation Information (2) in the list of forms on the left.

Finally, scroll down to Emergency Early Dismissal Plan.

screenshot of early dismissal plan update screens

Check that your plan is correct, make changes if necessary, and save.

Communication

To ensure that every student and family is aware of changes to the school day schedule, Goshen will always communicate changes in a variety of ways, including the following.

Update parent/guardian contact info in Final Forms

Please take a moment to ensure that your contact information is correct in Final Forms. These are the phone numbers and email addresses we will contact.

Log in to Final Forms and click the Update Forms button next to your student.

Select the Contact Information form, then scroll to the Parent/Guardian section.

screenshot of contact info update screens

Make any necessary changes, then scroll to the bottom and submit the form to update your contact information.

Homework and class assignment guidelines

Always email or speak to your teacher about any special circumstances related to missing class time and snow days.  Teachers are always working to ensure that every student succeeds.

Typically, any assignments due on a snow day are simply due on the next day that school is in session.

Two hour delays do not affect homework due dates, but may affect in-class assignments.