The Perkiomen Valley School District recognizes that as we work to assure the safety of all of our students and staff, winter weather emergencies caused by snow and ice may cause such disruptions in school operations including school closings, delayed openings and early dismissals.

• Information on road conditions from operations staff and from local police. We must give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in the district. The Perkiomen Valley School District encompasses a total of 26 square miles in six different municipalities. The streets in your neighborhood might be cleared of snow and ice, but the roads somewhere else in the district may be quite dangerous. 
  
  
• Amount of snow and ice accumulated. 
  
  
• Whether precipitation is continuing. 
  
  
• Building conditions.
  
  
• Parking lot conditions. Administrators talk to maintenance and custodial staff members who are responsible for clearing and treating school parking lots and sidewalks. 
  
  
• Temperature and wind chill. Please remember that some of our students walk to school and many must wait outside for the bus. 
  
  
• Weather predictions. We prefer not making our decision based on weather predictions, which are not always accurate. But sometimes this is unavoidable.
  
  
• Young drivers. We must consider that some high school students drive to school.

When is the decision made to close schools?

The decision must be made by 5:30 a.m. (or earlier if possible) so the district can notify radio and television stations and post the decision on the web site. If a later decision would be made to announce a school closing, some parents will have already left for work, leaving their children unsupervised.

Will we close school if conditions worsen? 
 
It is difficult to reverse the decision about opening schools without endangering students, even if weather conditions worsen. Once the decision is made to open the schools, parents rely on it and leave for work. Many students will return to unsupervised bus stops and empty houses if students are sent right back home. An early dismissal could occur if conditions worsen during the school day, but all possible attempts will be made to give adequate notice to parents first.
 
Although the district staff does our absolute best through this process, no perfect decision exists. If you do not feel as though it is safe for your child to attend school, we advise you to use your best judgment on whether he or she should attend. Also, we also would advise parents to discourage teenagers from driving in bad conditions and offer them alternatives if weather conditions worsen.
 
It is hoped that this explanation helps everyone understand the process that our district staff uses to make the best possible decision for everyone in our district.

What happens with transportation that the district provides to non-public, private and charter schools when there are early dismissals/delays/cancellations?

Please click here for information about transportation to non-public schools.

How is the public notified?
 
Information on school closings, delayed openings, or early dismissals due to inclement weather and other emergencies will be announced via the following sources:
 

 
Information on modified schedules for a 2-hour delay:
 
Modified Kindergarten

A.M. - 10:30 - 12:30 p.m.

P.M. 1:30 - 3:15 p.m.
  

Community Education:

Community Education Classes are cancelled when there is an early dismissal or if our schools are closed due to inclement weather.