Winter Weather is Here!

When we suspect weather might be an issue, an intricate process begins "behind the scenes." The previous evening, MVSD personnel are put on alert and asked to have their phones with them and to prepare for early communications. At around 4am, SAU and District personnel begin texting and chatting about the road conditions and what will be best for students. We also reach out to road agents and colleagues (other local school decision makers). We closely monitor WMUR, AccuWeather, and other radars; the forecast heavily influences the ultimate decision. In the MVSD, the first buses are typically on the road by about 6am and employees are pre-tripping buses up to an hour before that (depending on the weather). With information and forecasts in hand, the goal is to come to a conclusion about school cancellation by approximately 5:30am. It is a very collaborative and communicative process, but in the end it is the superintendent's decision.

Sometimes forecasts are not correct (a benefit of living in New England) and we have to deal with wintry road conditions. Our bus drivers are all very well trained and take every precaution in ensuring student safety. We will continue to strive to make the best decisions we can. Please let the dropping temperatures and forecasted snow serve as a reminder to ensure that your family cars are ready for these upcoming months. The following link is from a private site (http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/winterize-car.php). This link provides insight and resources for readying your cars for a New Hampshire winter. As always we value your continuing support and partnership.

In addition to placing school closing information on our websites, school closing notifications are posted on WMUR (television and website). Parents are also notified via the contact information we have on file in our Student Information System (please connect with your local school if you do not receive these calls). Finally, closing notifications are also sent out via a Remind notification. If you would like to sign up for that, please follow the directions on the MVSD home page or click the following link - https://www.remind.com/join/mvsd.