Phone system used to contact parents when schools are closed 

Parents of Williamson County Schools students will once again be contacted by phone and email if schools are closed due to bad weather. While the local media will also broadcast closing information, parents can expect to receive a phone call at home early in the morning or during the day at work if schools have to be closed due to inclement weather. The district’s phone notification system continues to be used by the school district and individual schools to notify parents of school closings and other important information.

“Our goal is to notify parents as early as possible if we must cancel school for the day,” said Director of Schools Dr. Rebecca S. Sharber. “Parents continue to express their appreciation to us for using the phone notification system to contact them with early closing and other important information. They appreciate the fact that we can call thousands of numbers in a matter of minutes.”

Sharber said that the district will try to call by 9 p.m. if school will be cancelled the next day, but if that is not possible, the district will begin calling homes as early as 5:45 in the morning the day school is closed. Parents will only be called at the main number on file with the school in the morning or evening. If school is dismissed early for the day, parents will receive calls at all of the phone numbers on file with the school. An email address must also be in the school’s database to receive the email notification.

“We want to remind parents to notify the school immediately if their contact information ever changes,” said Sharber. “It’s crucial that schools have the correct phone number and email address on file for each child.”

In addition, school closing information will still be available on the Williamson County Schools cable access channels, Comcast 3 and Charter 96, and local radio station WAKM AM 950.  School closing information can also be found on the school district web site, www.wcs.edu, by selecting School Delays/Closings on the home page, and many Nashville area television stations will also broadcast school closings and early dismissal information. 

The decision to close school will be made as early as possible to allow parents time to make alternate arrangements when necessary.  According to Transportation Manager John Hancock, spotters are located across the district and keep an eye on road conditions throughout the day and night, but the Director of Schools makes the final decision to close school.

“We want parents to remember that any type of inclement weather, including snow, ice and flooding, can cause us to close school,” said Sharber.

Hancock said the decision to call off school is not an easy one but that the safety of the students is the deciding factor. “Our whole system is based on safely transporting each child,” said Hancock.  “The district has studied using alternate routes when weather conditions are not ideal, but we have found that this is not a safe option in our county.”

Since Williamson is a large county with many rural roads, hazardous conditions in one part of the county may close the entire district.  When schools are closed due to weather, events are automatically cancelled at the elementary and middle schools. The cancellation of high school events is determined at the school site, and individual schools will share that information with students and parents.

The district has 10 inclement weather days built into the 2008-09 calendar; any additional days missed would be rescheduled.