The decision to open or close schools in the Perkiomen Valley School District in bad weather is based on a careful analysis of all relevant information. The Superintendent is responsible for the final decision, but her assessment is based on recommendations from the Director of Operations & Transportation and other information such as: 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.

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.

 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.

Click here for information about transportation to non-public schools.

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

• • We call you: Perkiomen Valley School District utilizes an automated emergency telephone system that allows school district administrators the ability to distribute a message to the homes of all students within a very short time. However, the system is not based in the district and is subject to a variety of limitations that are beyond the control of district personnel. Please be sure to notify your child’s school about changes to your home, cell, and work numbers.
    • What do I do if I’m a parent and I’m not receiving emails or phone calls about closings/delays/early dismissals?  First, contact your child’s school building to speak with a secretary and verify that the information the district has on file for your family is correct. If your contact information is correct, the next step is to contact us at webmaster@pvds.org to determine if there is another issue preventing the delivery of messages.
    • What do I do if I am receiving calls from Perkiomen Valley School District and I don’t have a child in the school district?  Contact us at webmaster@pvds.org for assistance.
  • You call us: Parents may call the district’s main number at (610) 489-8506 and press #2 at the prompt. Any messages about weather-related closures, late openings, or early dismissals will be heard at this number.
  • School district website: In the event of a weather-related problem or other emergency, parents can also check the Perkiomen Valley School District website (www.pvsd.org) for a special message on the home page. If there is a school closure, late opening, or early dismissal, a message will appear at the top of the screen.
  • Email: In addition to a phone call from the Blackboard/Connect 5 telephone system, the Perkiomen Valley School District will also send out an email to all registered email addresses. The email message will provide details about any school closures, late openings, or early dismissals. If you are not sure if we have an email address on file for you, please contact your child’s building for assistance.
  • PV app: Download our free app from the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Android). Weather notifications will be sent to all who install the app on their mobile device. 
  • PV Social Media accounts:
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
  • Television/Radio Stations:
    • Perkiomen Valley School District – School Closing Number 317
    • Information about school closings, delayed openings, or early dismissals due to inclement weather and other emergencies will be announced via the following sources:
      • KYW-TV Philadelphia (CBS – Channel 3) – http://www.cbs3.com or kywschools.com
      • WPVI Philadelphia (ABC – Channel 6) – http://www.wpvi.com
      • WCAU Philadelphia (NBC – Channel 10) – http://www.nbc10.com
      • WTXF Philadelphia (FOX 29) – http://www.myfoxphilly.com
      • WFMZ Allentown (Channel 69) – http://www.wfmz.com
      • WFMZ 100.7 FM

Children who normally ride the bus will take the bus home on early dismissal days. In general, you can expect your child’s bus to arrive home by estimating the amount of time it usually takes for the bus to arrive home after dismissal, and applying it to the new dismissal time. For example, if your elementary school child typically arrives at his bus stop at 3:45 p.m. on a regular school day, that is one half-hour past dismissal time. If elementary schools dismiss at 12:15 p.m., your child would arrive home at 12:45 p.m. Please keep in mind that this would be an estimate – road conditions and other issues may delay buses. Parents should be prepared with a back-up child care plan (if appropriate) that can be put in place in the event of an early dismissal.

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