Dear Butler D53 Families and Staff,
As the temperatures have started to drop, we turn the corner to fall and winter, and with snow in the forecast this week, I wanted to send a message relating to potential weather-related school building closures. While I consider closing our school buildings to be an exception and place a strong emphasis on keeping our schools open, my first priority is keeping our students and staff safe. It is important that you know that the weather prediction itself is not the only determinant. There are several factors that are carefully analyzed when making a decision to keep the buildings open or to close. To highlight some:
- Safety and well-being of students and staff
- Severity of the weather (extreme cold, excessive snow, ice, flooding, etc.)
- Timing of the weather-related events
- Ability of buses, cars, and walking students to travel safely
- Operable condition of our buildings
In a situation of pending inclement weather, I am in constant contact with the Hinsdale Township School District 86 superintendent, surrounding community school administrators, the Village of Oak Brook, First Student Bus Company, and the Illinois Department of Transportation. While it is good to collaborate, I will ultimately make the decision with the focus on our own student and staff safety.
Notification of a Closure: School building closure decisions will normally be made the evening prior, if at all possible. But the latest, by 5:30AM, the day of. The closure of school buildings also means that all extracurricular activities will be canceled. Notification to parents/guardians of students, and staff will be communicated as follows:
- An automated BlackBoard Connect, email, and text (dependent on your notification preferences)
- Butler School District 53 website
- District social media accounts
- Local media outlets
Parents/guardians must remember to update their contact information during registration each year, and throughout the year if you change any of your contact information. You can update your contact and notification preferences by contacting our registrar, Kristen Lugo (klugo@butler53.com).
Because our District has an approved remote learning plan on file with the DuPage Regional Office of Education, emergency days will not have to be utilized in the event the school buildings are closed. Students, teachers, and staff have the ability to remote teach and remote learn if it is declared a day that the buildings will be closed. In this instance, further communication will come from building principals and teachers.
Stay well, be safe!
Dr. Paul O’Malley
Superintendent of Schools