Inclement Weather Policy
The designated television stations that will be contacted are KARK Channel 4, KATV Channel 7 and KTHV Channel 11. All families will also be contacted via phone by our SchoolReach service. SchoolReach is an all-call telephone notification service used by the School.
School Cancellation or Delayed Opening: The first day of inclement weather, Episcopal Collegiate will follow the Little Rock Public Schools. Subsequently, Episcopal Collegiate will determine whether or not to delay opening or to cancel school based on its own determination of conditions. We understand that many students may come from areas where conditions are not safe for travel. We will be sensitive to the parents? decision concerning this matter. The administration at Episcopal Collegiate will notify the designated television stations as soon as its administration knows whether or not school will be in session. This could be early or late evening or first thing in the morning. In addition to notification of the television stations, the school will send out a Telephone Broadcast Message through SchoolReach to the home and cell phone numbers provided to the school at registration. Also, information will be posted on the school website. Please refrain from calling the school.
Emergency Early Dismissal: When the decision is made to dismiss school, the school will notify the designated TV stations and send out a Telephone Broadcast Message through SchoolReach to the home and cell phone numbers provided to the school at registration. Also, information will be posted on the school website. Please refrain from calling the school. Any time a parent is concerned about weather conditions, he/she is welcome to check out the student at the Middle or Upper School office.
Information about School Reach: The School’s Telephone Broadcast Service
In our effort to improve communication, we have instituted a telephone and email broadcast system that will enable school personnel to notify all households and parents by phone and email within minutes of an emergency or unplanned event. The service may also be used from time-to-time to communicate general announcements or reminders. This service is provided by SchoolReach, a company specializing in school-to-parent communications. Episcopal Collegiate will continue to report school closings due to snow or weather on the three local TV stations and will use this system as an overlay to those public announcements.
When the telephone broadcast is used, the service will simultaneously call all listed home and cellular phone numbers in our parent contact list and will deliver a recorded message. The service will deliver the message to both live answer and answering machines. No answers and busies will be automatically retried twice in fifteen minute intervals after the initial call.
NOTE: 1) This requires NO registration by the parent on the SchoolReach website. 2). All information and contact numbers are strictly secure and confidential and are only used for the purposes described herein.
Here is some specific information you should know: Caller ID: The Call ID will display 372-1194, which is the school?s main number.
- Live Answers: There is a short pause at the beginning of the message, usually just a few seconds. Answer your phone as you normally would; “hello” and hold for the message to begin. Multiple “hello?s” will delay the message. Please inform all family members of this process who may answer your phone.
- Answering Machines: The system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recording to your machine. The maximum number of rings before hang-up is five. Make sure your machine answers after four rings or you may miss the message.
- Message Repeat: At the end of the message you will be prompted to „press one? to hear the message again. This is very helpful when a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then "repeat? the message in its entirety.
If you have any questions, please contact Susan Langford at 372-1194 x2461.
