School Delays and Cancellations

School Closings and Delays

Norwin School District communicates school closings, Flexible Instruction Days, or delays in several ways, including:

Text messages sent to all families and staff members;
Notices on KDKA, WTAE and WPXI TV stations;
Postings on the School District Web site at norwinsd.org;
Postings on the School District Facebook page at facebook.com/norwinsd

Please note that email addresses and mobile phone numbers must be current within the District’s School Messenger system in order to receive texts and emails. More information about this can be found by clicking here.

Communication about school closings and delays occurs as early as possible and may be changed or updated on short notice.

Modified Kindergarten Schedule

In the event of a school delay, the half-day Kindergarten school day will be modified as listed below:

	AM Kindergarten	PM Kindergarten
One-Hour Delay	10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Two-Hour Delay	11:00 a.m. – 12:55 p.m.	1:35 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

No breakfast will be served on two-hour delay days.

After-School and Evening Sports Activities

In most cases, on days of school closings, after-school and evening school activities and sporting events are postponed until a later date. However, school principals and athletic directors have the discretion to hold games on days of school closings if weather conditions have improved by afternoon/evening. All community-based evening activities such as recreational basketball or scout meetings are canceled.

How Closings and Delays Are Decided

The Norwin School District administration takes a team approach when making decisions about school delays and closures. That decision is based on safety first, using the best information available at the time the decision must be made. Standard sources of information may include but are not limited to Accu-Weather, the National Weather Service, North Huntingdon Township Road Crews, the North Huntingdon Township Police, Irwin Borough Police, Irwin Borough Road Crews, PennDOT, the District’s Director of Facilities and Property Services, and the District’s Coordinator of Student Transportation.

Additionally, input from the District’s busing contractor, First Student, is received after they have driven various roadways in the School District firsthand. This procedure normally begins at 4:30 a.m. so that a decision can be made if a delay or cancellation seems warranted. The District’s Coordinator of Student Transportation consults the representative from First Student to assess conditions.

The Superintendent may also consult with other Westmoreland County area school districts. The final decision is reached generally around 5 a.m. to inform media and affected District personnel.

Each decision regarding inclement weather is made on a case-by-case basis, and again, safety is the primary consideration in the decision. If parents remain concerned about the safety of their children after the District’s decision is made, they are encouraged to use their own judgment and to request an excused absence for their child when necessary.

School delays or cancellations due to cold weather are based on weather forecasts which take into consideration temperatures, wind chill factors, and gusty winds. However, in most cases, the temperature does not increase significantly from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. when school delays may be announced. Recognizing that we want to be in school as much as possible for valuable instructional time, we try to avoid cancellations based on temperature alone.

If temperatures are in the low range of single digits, coupled with a below-zero wind chill factor, then there may be justification for a school delay. The final decision, and the timing of any notification to parents and staff, shall be at the discretion of the Superintendent of Schools.

If weather conditions deteriorate while school is in session, an early dismissal may occur.

Questions or comments regarding student transportation should be directed to Mr. Rod Stewart, Coordinator of Student Transportation, at 724-861-3038.