Emergency Closings & Delays

Warwick Valley Central School District may close or dismiss students early when inclement weather occurs. In these instances, every effort is made to release this information in as timely a manner as possible. On mornings when weather may affect the opening of schools, decisions are made before 5:30 am and provided in multiple delivery formats so that parents and staff are notified before they leave for work.

Please do not call the bus garage, as those phone lines must be kept free for emergency calls. Closings, delays and early dismissal information is communicated in the following ways: 

• Texts, emails and phone calls from the district
  • You may use Parent Portal to ensure that your phone number and email address is up to date.
• WVCSD website
  • A red alert banner will be visible at the top of the district homepage.
• WVCSD Facebook & Twitter 
• WVCSD Mobile Apps
  • There’s one for each of the district’s four schools available for free at the Apple App Store and Google Play. 
• Broadcast Media
  • TV: WABC-TV, WNBC-TV, FOX 5/NNYW, Hudson Valley News 12
  • FM Radio: 93.5 WTBQ; 92.1 Lite-FM; 92.7, 96.9 WRRV; Star 93.3;  94.1, 95.7, 96.7, 103.1, 107.7 FOX; 94.3, 97.3 The Wolf; 96.1 KISS FM; MIX 97.7; 98.9 Fox Oldies; News Talk 99.3 WKIP; 100.7 WHUD; 101.5, 106.1, 106.3 WPDH; and 107.3
  • AM radio: 1110 WTBQ; 1220 Fox Oldies; 1340, 1390 Radio Disney; 1450 WKIP-AM

Note: power outages may prevent information from being posted online or viewed on television. In these instances, please listen for school closures on one of the radio stations listed above. 

Making the Decision
The decision to close school, delay opening or dismiss early is never made lightly. With student safety always at the forefront, many factors are considered. The decision is based on the recommendations of transportation and facilities directors, and made only after thorough analysis of the following factors:

• Information on road conditions from transportation staff and police.
  District leaders must determine whether or not road conditions will allow drivers to transport students safely to school. Careful consideration is given to the most dangerous roads in the 86 square miles traveled by district buses. Beginning at 3:30 a.m., the director of transportation drives many of these roads, particularly those in higher elevations, to determine if they are safe. Input on road conditions is also received from the police and Warwick’s highway supervisor.
• Current weather conditions and accumulation.
  The decision is also based on snow accumulation and if  precipitation is continuing.
• Temperature and wind chill.
  Because some students walk to school and most must wait outside for the bus, frigid temperatures can put students at risk.
• Weather predictions.
  While administrators prefer not to make a decision based on weather predictions, sometimes this is unavoidable, especially when a major storm is predicted. Our district receives regular updates from the National Weather Service and Doppler Radar. Updated every five minutes, Doppler provides detailed reports on the storm’s current location and its projected path.
• District buildings and parking lot conditions.
  Buildings must have electricity and heat, and maintenance staff must be able to clear snow and ice from sidewalks and parking lots.
• Other school districts.
  It is common practice to check with neighboring districts. 

It is important to note that when the decision is made to open school, it cannot be reversed later in the morning without endangering students. Many parents rely on our decision to determine when they will leave for work. If conditions worsen, students cannot be transported right back home, because many will return to unsupervised bus stops and empty houses.

While administrators go through a comprehensive decision-making process before deciding to open or close school, it is not an exact science. If school is open but you feel it is not safe for your child to attend, use your best judgment. Additionally, parents of teen drivers concerned about them driving in poor conditions should know there is a seat available on the bus for every student.

Order of Early Dismissals
During an early dismissal, high school and middle school students are released first, along with the parochial schools. Then the elementary schools are dismissed approximately an hour later. This ensures that older siblings arrive home before younger brothers and sisters. Parents are reminded to make sure their children know what to do in case of early dismissal.