Inclement Weather Decision Making Process

The Superintendent, or designee, will make the decision regarding school scheduling modifications (closure, delay, early dismissal, cancellation of after school programs, cancellation of after school athletics) pending a recommendation from the Deputy Superintendent of Operations. The Chief Operating Officer makes a recommendation to the Deputy Superintendent of Operations after doing the following within 24-48 hours of an expected weather event:

1. On the evening before severe winter weather is forecasted, the Operations Division will activate the Communication and Coordination (C2) Center to collect the information and data necessary to maintain situational awareness of the severe winter weather’s potential impact.
2. As a member of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management Services (OEMS) team, receives input from the City of Philadelphia, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service; SEPTA, and any other impacted agencies.
3. Coordinates with the Archdiosese of Philadelphia Schools.
4. Receives feedback from the Office of School Safety and the Facilities Management teams after they have surveyed road networks in the vicinity of District schools to assess trafficability for school buses, school vans, and automobiles, as well as assessing the serviceability of walkways and sidewalks on school grounds.
5. Confers with the SDP Emergency Response Team (Deputy Superintendent for Academics; Chief of Staff; Chief of Communications, and Chief of School Safety) to finalize the school opening, delay or closure recommendation to share with the Superintendent.

Weather/Emergency Communication Timelines and Protocols

Day in Advance Notification Timeline

1. By Noon – Issue a message to alert District administrators to remind students to take home their Chromebooks and medications from the nurse’s office.
2. By 3:00PM – A conference call with the SDP Emergency Response Team to finalize the school opening, delay or closure recommendation to share with the Superintendent.
3. By 5:00PM – Superintendent finalizes school opening, delay, or closure decision.
4. By 7:00PM – Update SDP Board President and Mayor’s Chief of Staff
5. By 8:00PM – Superintendent confirms final school opening, delay, or closure decision.
6. By 9:00PM – Launch communications cascade to issue a message and announce the decision for school opening, delay or closure (email, text, district website, and media outreach)

Day of Notification Timeline

1. By Noon day before – Issue a message to alert District administrators to remind students to take home their Chromebooks and medications from the nurse’s office.
2. By 3:45AM – A conference call with the SDP Emergency Response Team to finalize the school opening, delay or closure recommendation to share with the Superintendent.
3. By 4:00AM – Superintendent finalizes school opening, delay, or closure decision.
4. By 4:15AM – Update SDP Board President and Mayor’s Chief of Staff
5. By 4:30AM – Superintendent confirms final school opening, delay, or closure decision.
6. By 4:45AM – Launch communications cascade to issue a message and announce the decision for school opening, delay or closure (email, text, district website, and media outreach)

2024-25 School Year Protocol

• The Chief Operating Officer (COO) monitors extreme warm weather and makes a recommendation to the Deputy Superintendent of Operations within 24-48 hours of an extreme heat event.
• The recommendation will be based on analysis from the National Weather Service and the City’s Office of Emergency Management.
• For the 63 schools without adequate cooling in learning spaces, the COO could recommend:
  • Early Dismissal if outside temperatures are forecasted to reach or exceed 85 degrees by 12:00 pm.
  • Remote Learning if outside temperatures are forecasted to reach or exceed 85 degrees by 9:00 am.
• Based on the COO’s and Deputy Superintendent’s recommendations, the Superintendent decides whether schools will be open, dismiss early, or offer remote learning.
• The District aims to notify impacted families and staff at least 24 hours in advance of a planned early dismissal or building closure.

School Programs with Inadequate Cooling 

It is possible that a school with an operational HVAC system could experience a maintenance challenge that prevents the school from being adequately cooled during extreme heat. In those instances, the school principal will independently inform the school community of the listing below:

(*) Schools have PreK/Head Start on-site.

Schools
AMY Northwest
Anderson, Marian
Bache-Martin*
Blaine, James*
Building 21
Castor Gardens
Catharine, Joseph*
Comegys, B.
Comly, Watson
Cooke, J.
Crossan, Kennedy
Disston, Hamilton
Dunbar, Paul
Emlen, Eleanor*
Fell, D Newlin
Fitzpatrick, A.*
Fox Chase
Franklin, Ben HS
Girard, Stephen
Harding, Warren
Henry, Charles
Hill-Freedman
Hopkinson, Francis
Houston, Henry
Howe, Julia
Jenks, Abram
Jenks, John S
Lamberton*
Lingelbach, Anna
Loesche*
Ludlow, James
McCloskey, John
McClure, A.*
McMichael, M.*
Mitchell, Weir
Moore, J. Hampton
Morrison, Andrew
MYA
Olney Elementary
Overbrook ES
Parkway West
Patterson, John*
Rhawnhurst*
Roosevelt, T.
Rowen, William
Roxborough HS
Sayre, William
Sharswood, George*
Sheppard, Issac
South Phila. HS*
Spring Garden
Spruance, Gilbert*
Sullivan, James
Tilden, William
The U School
Wagner, Gen. Louis
Waring, Laura
Washington, Martha

• If the District is closed, transportation will not be provided by the District or its vendors.
• If there is a delay or early dismissal, transportation services to and from all schools will be provided based on the modification in the District’s schedule and priorities.