South Madison Community School Corporation School Delays and Closures
All public schools in Indiana are required to conduct 180 student instructional days every school year. South Madison Schools is committed to conducting those instructional days in a safe manner. Each morning, school personnel assess both road and individual school campus conditions to ensure the safety of both our students and staff.
Options available to the Superintendent when an unsafe condition exists:
1. Delay the start of school by up to two hours.
2. Close the schools in the district and schedule a make-up day
3. Close the schools in the district and use an eLearning day
4. Dismiss school early under carefully monitored conditions.
School Delays and Closures will be communicated in the following ways:
1. The district will send out information by text message, email, and phone call.
2. Information will be posted on the district website
3. Local television stations
Please make sure your contact information is correct in PowerSchool. If you need assistance logging into PowerSchool or are not receiving notifications from the school district please contact your student’s school.
When are decisions made regarding school delays and closures?
Generally, the decision to close or delay school is made in the morning prior to 5:30 AM. On some occasions, the decision to close or delay school may be made the evening before based on current or forecasted conditions. If a delay is posted in the evening, school personnel will continue to monitor conditions the next morning which may result in the delay changing to a closure.
What type of situations may require a school delay or closure?
School delays and closures are based on multiple conditions which include fog, freezing rain/sleet, snow, extreme cold, and specific building issues such as disruptions to electricity, natural gas, and water.
How are decisions made regarding make-up days and eLearning days?
When a school closure occurs, the district will consider the use of make-up days and eLearning days to meet the 180 instructional day requirement. For the 2022-23 school year, South Madison Schools adopted a calendar with 7 potential make-up days built into the calendar. (1/16, 2/20, 3/13, 3/14, 3/15, 3/16, 3/17) The decision to use an in-person make-up day or an eLearning day will be based on when the school closure occurs and how many make-up days are left on the calendar.
What are parental responsibilities when school is delayed or closed?
When school is delayed parents should make arrangements for child care until buses arrive. Parents should arrange for child care if the schools are closed for the day. Children should know where to go when school is dismissed early. Communication regarding early dismissal will be made as soon as possible.
If school is open and a student stays home during days of poor weather (even with parent permission), the student will be counted absent.
Does Preschool meet on days that school is delayed or closed?
Preschool classes will not meet on days that school is closed or on eLearning days. On days that school is delayed preschool students follow the following schedule.
AM Start: - 10:15 AM PM Start - 12:15 PM
AM Dismissal - 12:15 PM PM Dismissal - 3:15 PM
Does Kids Connection operate on days that school is delayed or closed?
If school is closed, Kids Connection will also be closed. If school is delayed, Kid Connection will open at 6:30 AM to provide care until school starts. Only students enrolled in Kids Connection can attend on school delay days. If a school delay is extended to a school closure students will need to be picked up within two hours of the closure notification. If school is dismissed early, Kids Connection will operate for two hours from the time of the early dismissal.
Do extracurricular activities occur on days that school is delayed or closed?
When school is closed due to inclement weather, the Superintendent will determine if practices, rehearsals, or meetings shall occur.
Given that a game time or performance time may be more than 10 hours after the decision to close school is made, and understanding the weather conditions can significantly improve over the course of a day, the decision regarding interschool athletic contests and major performances shall be made on a case-by-case basis by the school administration working with the district administration team.