School Closings & Severe Weather

Our ultimate goal is to provide a safe learning environment for all students and staff members every day. OSSD will only close schools when we do not feel we can keep our students and staff safe, or conditions do not allow for safe travel. Unless you have heard directly from OSSD, always assume that school is in session.

Throughout the school year, unless we announce otherwise, assume that school will be in session.

When schools are open we know that our students and staff are safe.

Severe Weather Protocols

OSSD makes every effort to ensure a safe learning environment for all students and staff members, 180 days each school year. We are fortunate to have some of the most structurally sound buildings in the city of Ocean Springs and all of our schools are located in areas safe from flooding. Closing schools is the absolute last resort for any school district, and OSSD will only close schools when we do not feel we can keep our students and staff safe.

Ultimately, parents make the final decision about whether or not to send their children to school if they believe weather conditions present a safety issue. Parents may use a parental-excused absence (up to two per nine weeks) to allow their child to miss school and make up missed work later.

HOW DO WE MAKE THE DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR WEATHER?

Please understand that we make the decision to open or close schools based on a careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

Direct consultation with the Jackson County Office of Emergency Services: The information that they receive is accurate, and in many instances, it predates what you will see on the local media outlets. For this reason, we prefer to not make our decisions based on weather predictions, which are not always accurate and constantly change.
Information on road conditions from transportation staff and from law enforcement agencies that serve our area: We give careful consideration to the bridge conditions and flooding in the district. Even if your street looks clear, travel elsewhere in the district may be dangerous. Also, we recognize that many Ocean Springs High School students drive to school, and we consider their driving inexperience as well when we make a decision.
Building conditions (such as whether we have electricity and water service).
In the winter months, we consider temperature and wind chill. Please remember that some of our students walk to school and some must wait outside for the bus.
We also monitor playground temperatures and modify recess time based on advisories (hot and cold weather).
We are mindful of what other school districts are doing, and we share information with other local districts. However, OSSD independently makes its decisions about whether we will open or close.

DO OTHER DISTRICTS INFLUENCE OUR DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE CLOSE FOR SEVERE WEATHER?

Sometimes. Severe weather conditions can affect local districts in many different ways. Our proximity to the water allows for milder conditions of storms that are typically stronger to our north, however, our location also means we are more susceptible to the impacts of hurricanes and tropical storms. This is one of many factors taken into account when deciding on canceling school.

Although each school district makes its own decisions, we are in frequent communication with our surrounding districts during severe weather and will make every attempt to act in uniform.

WHO MAKES THE DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR WEATHER?

WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?

We will make the decision to close or delay opening schools by 5:30 am, or earlier, so we can notify families and staff by the three methods referenced above and our local media outlets. If we wait longer to announce a closing, some parents will have already left for work, leaving their children unsupervised.

Given the distinct weather challenges faced by our area, we encourage all parents to have a child supervision plan in place for inclement weather situations.

HOW WILL STAFF & FAMILIES BE NOTIFIED OF SCHOOL CLOSURES?

Principals and department heads will directly notify staff once a decision is made about opening or closing schools. We will contact families by SchoolMessenger if we plan to delay opening school or if we plan to close schools for the day or have an early release due to impending weather.

As we consider this an emergency notification, we will communicate this information to families in three ways: email, phone call, and social media. It is imperative that everyone keeps their contact information current in order to receive notifications.

WILL WE HAVE TO MAKE UP DAYS MISSED DUE TO WEATHER?

Will we have to make up days missed due to severe weather?

YES! State laws require the school year to consist of at least 180 school days. If one of those days is canceled, it must be made up. This is another reason why canceling is a last resort for school districts.

Weather Make-Up Days

Due to our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, we have designated weather make-up days built into our academic calendar. If school is not canceled, these days are holidays. It is important to remember the designated weather make-up days when planning vacations each year. If we must have school on those days, attendance is mandatory. Our designated weather make-up days for 2024-2025 are below:

Fall 2024: October 7th & 8th
Spring 2025: March 6th & 7th

State of Emergency / Forgiven School Days

The only scenario in which the days do not have to be made up is if the Governor declares a State of Emergency, and then forgives the school days. These typically only occur during hurricanes or extremely freezing temperatures across several days.

WHAT IS A DELAYED OPENING?

WILL WE CLOSE SCHOOL IF CONDITIONS WORSEN?

As a district of over 6,000 students, please understand that once the decision is made and our operations are moving under the command, we cannot change directions and must continue as directed. Keep in mind that even if weather conditions worsen, we cannot reverse our decision in the morning without placing our students in more danger. Once we make the decision to open the schools, many parents rely on that decision and leave for work. If we then send students right back home, many will return to empty houses. If conditions deteriorate during the school day, we may need to have an early dismissal, but we will try to give at least an hour's notice to all staff and parents first.

Although we do our absolute best in this process, we know that often no perfect decision exists. We hope that this explanation helps everyone understand the process that our district staff uses to make the best possible decision for all in our district.

Thank you for the distinct privilege of educating your child and for helping us to keep our students and staff safe.

Helpful Links:

National Hurricane Preparedness

(NOAA)

South Mississippi Hurricane Evacuation

(MEMA)

Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults

(NCOA)

National Hurricane Center Updates

(NOAA)

MEMA Hurricane Preparedness Page

(MEMA)

NOAA Communication Center

(NOAA)

Preparing for a Hurricane

(Ready.gov)

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In This Section

School Closings & Severe Weather

Severe Weather Protocols

HOW DO WE MAKE THE DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR WEATHER?

HOW DO WE MAKE THE DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR WEATHER?

DO OTHER DISTRICTS INFLUENCE OUR DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE CLOSE FOR SEVERE WEATHER?

DO OTHER DISTRICTS INFLUENCE OUR DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT WE CLOSE FOR SEVERE WEATHER?

WHO MAKES THE DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR WEATHER?

WHO MAKES THE DECISION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS FOR WEATHER?

WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?

WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?

HOW WILL STAFF & FAMILIES BE NOTIFIED OF SCHOOL CLOSURES?

HOW WILL STAFF & FAMILIES BE NOTIFIED OF SCHOOL CLOSURES?

WILL WE HAVE TO MAKE UP DAYS MISSED DUE TO WEATHER?

Will we have to make up days missed due to severe weather?

WHAT IS A DELAYED OPENING?

WHAT IS A DELAYED OPENING?

WILL WE CLOSE SCHOOL IF CONDITIONS WORSEN?

WILL WE CLOSE SCHOOL IF CONDITIONS WORSEN?

Helpful Links: