Parents Encouraged to Register for Free Email Notification

When Warwick School District officials decided last Wednesday morning to dismiss schools early due to the approach of an impending snowstorm, parents who had already signed up for the district’s FastNews service were among the first to find out.

Parents received an alert via email that was issued at around 9:06 a.m. that schools would dismiss early. Parents were also notified by phone of the early closure through the BlackBoard system, but only because school had already started for the day.

Warwick schools do not alert parents of delays or closures by phone during the early morning hours before the start of school. The only direct way to receive early-morning notification of delays and closures from the district is by email, through the FastNews service.

“We have found that the vast majority of families do not want to receive phone communication at that early hour, so (telephone) is used only to communicate emergency information and/or early dismissals announced during a school day,” a statement on the district site reads.

The district encourages parents to enroll for the the free FastNews notification service. Parents may click here to access the brief enrollment form for FastNews on the Warwick School District site. Enrollment requires only an email address.

According to the district statement, “During school hours, in the event of an early dismissal or other emergency, parents will be alerted by phone via Black Board Connect.”

“In making decisions related to weather and our school schedule, student and staff safety is priority #1,” said district superintendent Dr. April Hershey in the statement on the site. “The district not only considers the safety of students who ride district buses, but those who come to school by car as well.”

“We also think specifically of our student drivers when making weather related decisions” said Hershey in the statement. “We recommend that families have a ‘plan B’ if you do not wish for your student driver to be on the road when school is in session.”

With snow frequently in the forecast over the coming week, parents are encouraged to make plans in advance to receive notice of snow emergency cancellations and closures, and to discuss with their children a plan for safety in the event of snow events.

Warwick schools are closed today due to a scheduled floating in-service day. Students are scheduled return to school tomorrow for the start of the second semester. The second round of a snowstorm that moved through the area overnight last night may impact schools tomorrow.