Closings, Delays & Early Dismissals

Norwich Public Schools communicates any school closures, delays and early dismissals to parents/guardians through ParentSquare and our District Social Media pages. Please ensure that your contact information is up to date with the Registration Office to receive timely notifications through ParentSquare If you are not receiving ParentSquare notifications, contact your child’s school to ensure you are opted in for notifications through text, call and/or email.

You can also sign-up for third party school closure notification through local news outlets (WFSB, FOX 61, WTNH & NBC).

Get Updates & Alerts

ParentSquare

ParentSquare

It is important that the registration office has your most current Phone/Cell number. You can contact them at (860) 823-4200 extension #1

Norwich Public Schools uses ParentSquare to notify parents, guardians, and/or the designated student emergency contact, of pertinent information regarding your student and school. The district uses a notification system for the following:

Daily notification of student absence
Delayed school openings
Early dismissals due to weather or school emergencies
School or district surveys
Notification of upcoming school or district events
Other unforeseen emergencies or circumstances

Modified Day Schedules

Early Learning Center

Emergency School Closing

Preschool AM Session:
Parent should contact the school for their student’s dismissal time.
Preschool PM Session:
The PM Session will be canceled.

Delayed Opening

In that event:

Preschool AM Session:
The AM Session is canceled.
Preschool PM Session:
Students will be transported to school according to their normal schedule.

Early Release Schedule

School	Time
Early Learning Centers
- Full Day	9:30 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
- Half Day AM	9:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
- Half Day PM	11:50 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.

Elementary/Middle

Early Release Schedule

School	Time
Huntington	8:50 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Mahan	8:10 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.
Moriarty	8:50 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Stanton	8:50 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Uncas	8:50 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Veterans	8:50 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Wequonnoc	8:50 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Kelly	8:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
TM Global Studies	8:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Norwich Transition Academy	7:25 a.m. - 12:05 p.m.

Adult Education

Norwich Adult Education

(Norwich Location Only)

If "Norwich Public Schools" announces...

Closure
- All Norwich Adult Ed classes are canceled.
Delayed Opening
- All Norwich Adult Ed morning classes will start at 10am.
Early Release (due to weather)
- All Norwich Adult Ed afternoon and evening classes are canceled.
After School Programs/Activities Cancelled
- All Norwich Adult Ed classes and programs are canceled.

Other Locations

Norwich Regional Adult Education classes held in East Lyme and Stonington will follow the subsequent town's cancellation and delay schedule.

School	Time
Norwich Transition Academy	7:25 a.m. - 12:05 p.m.

Weather Delay & Cancellation FAQ's

Scenario #1: Snow, ice or bad weather that will cause the morning commute to be unsafe is known the night before

Scenario #1: Snow, ice or bad weather that will cause the morning commute to be unsafe is known the night before

Time
5:00PM-9:00PM	Superintendent is in touch with the district weather team (Business Administrator, Facilities Director, Transportation Director and 2-3 designated staff for Communications) Superintendent is in touch with 20 local Superintendents Superintendent is in touch with all Administrators Director of Facilities is in touch with DPW (Department of Public Works) Everyone is instructed to keep their phones on
11:00PM-1:00 AM	Superintendent monitors weather models until midnight or 1:00AM
4:00AM	Alarm set for Superintendent and the district weather team Superintendent monitors updated weather model Facilities Director contacts DPW Superintendent contacts the area Superintendents
4:00AM-4:45AM	Conversations within district weather team and with outside partners (DPW, Bus Company, Custodians, Police, other Superintendents) about existing and predicted road conditions, timing and intensity of storm, amount of time the City DPW crew will need to plow/sand/salt, the condition of the parking lots and school sidewalks and the amount of time the custodians will need to plow/sand/salt.
4:45AM-5:15AM	Decision is made to delay or cancel by 5:15AM Superintendent Informs the NPS Weather Team Informs 20 local Superintendents Informs all Administrators Updates Superintendent Twitter ·Facilities Director Informs Public Works Informs Police Department Informs Custodial and Maintenance Staff Transportation Director: Informs Transportation Company Informs Food Service Staff Informs Kelly Services (Substitute Teachers) Communication staff #1: *Informs Radio and TV stations (WICH, WCTY, WNLC, WKNL, WILI AM and FM, WBMW, Channel 30 NBC CT, Channel WTNH, Channel 3 WFSB, Channel 6 Fox CT) Communication staff #2: Launches ParentSquare communication to families/staff/community members who have signed up to receive emails, texts and/or phone calls. Updates NPS website, NPS Twitter and NPS FB**
5:15AM	DEADLINE for a decision to be made NPS Buses must roll to designated high school bus stops
7:00AM-7:30AM	High School Start times
8:00-8:10AM	KMS, TMGSMMS and Mahan start time
8:50AM	Elementary start time
2:45PM-2:50PM	MS and Mahan dismissal
3:35PM	Elementary dismissal

Scenario #2: Snow, ice or bad weather that will cause the afternoon commute to be unsafe

Scenario #3: Bad weather is not predicted but ice/unsafe road conditions occur unexpectedly overnight

Scenario #3: Bad weather is not predicted but ice/unsafe road conditions occur unexpectedly overnight

The police officers are the only city employees regularly driving during the overnight hours. If/when they notice the road conditions are icy/unsafe they contact DPW. DPW enables their crew to treat the roads. When DPW is notified, they notify our Facilities Director and he activates the Superintendent and Weather Team of NPS.

Scenario #4: If bad weather is predicted, what are some reasons why you may not delay?

Scenario #4: If bad weather is predicted, what are some reasons why you may not delay?

If a storm is predicted to hit between 8am-10am and we delay, then our youngest learners will be enroute to school at the height of the storm. If we start school at the regular time they will arrive safely and DPW will treat the roads while they are at school so that they have a safe dismissal and departure.

Scenario #5: Major weather event is known prior to 6PM the night before (hurricane, blizzard, snow 5-6 inches or more)

Scenario #6 NPS canceled school, but my child attends a school outside of NPS and their school did not cancel. Why did my child’s bus not pick them up today?

Scenario #6 NPS canceled school, but my child attends a school outside of NPS (NFA, IDCS, Norwich Tech, etc.) and their school did not cancel. Why did my child’s bus not pick them up today?

When NPS cancels school, NPS buses do not provide transportation on that day for any school.
Transportation staff do not report to work. Instead, they report to work on our make-up day in June.
Our contract for transportation is restricted to 180 days. We do not budget for days outside of our 180 day school year. We are not required by law to provide transportation to other schools outside of our 180 day school year.
If a school that we transport to makes the decision to open school on a day that we delayed/canceled -OR- if a school we transport to makes the decision to delay on a day we are open, parents will need to arrange for their own transportation on that day.
Norwich Public School buses will not run on any day that Norwich Public Schools cancel or close due to Emergency Closure or Weather Cancellation.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to families.

This is not a new rule, this has always been the case.

Transportation

Two Hour Delay

Transportation will arrive approximately 2 hours later than your child's regular pickup time. This includes "out of town" transportation. Please continue to listen for updates, as a 2-hour delay may become a full cancellation if conditions do not improve as anticipated.

School Closure

When Norwich Public Schools announces a school closure, there will be no transportation to any schools in Norwich, out-of-town schools, after school programs or evening activities.

Other Emergencies

There may be instances where it becomes necessary to evacuate the school in order to ensure the safety of our students. Students will be transported to another site where they will continue the school day. Parents will be notified via ParentSquare as soon as information is available, and will receive updates throughout the entirety of the event until it is safely resolved. Under the advice of Norwich Police Department, we recommend that school phone lines be kept clear of all incoming calls in order to avoid creating a secondary hazard.

If deemed safe by emergency personnel, students will be transported home on their regular bus at the end of the school day. “Walker” students will be transported back to their home school where they will be met by parents, or walk home along their regular route. Students enrolled in the before and after school program will be transported back to the school.