Schools

How Does the Berkley School District Decide Whether to Call a Snow Day?

The process begins before the crack of dawn and involves a variety of factors.

The process to decide whether the Berkley School District will call a snow day begins in the wee hours of the morning.

BSD Superintendent Dennis McDavid will join superintendents from districts near Berkley and Huntington Woods on a conference call before the crack of dawn to discuss what to do, BSD Communications Supervisor Jessica Stilger said.

The superintendents will consider the following factors.

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  • Walking conditions.
  • Road conditions.
  • How safe it is for staffers to reach their schools.
  • Whether ServiCar of Michigan, which provides busing for many students with disabilities in the Berkley School District and other nearby districts, will be operating. For instance, the company's insurance agreement requires it to suspend operations when the Royal Oak Schools district, in which it is headquartered, closes.

"Usually when schools close, all of the districts in the area close because of shared services and things like the (Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts in Oak Park) and (Oakland Schools Technical Campuses throughout Oakland Coutny)," Stilger said.

She added that McDavid will try to avoid calling a snow day if at all possible.

Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

However, if the decision is made to cancel classes, the next thing that happens is Stilger will alert the community first by contacting the media, then by alerting parents via e-mail and phone messages, and lastly by posting the news on the district's Facebook page and website, she said.

The final step in the process of calling a snow day? Children rejoice!


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