1. Weather Or Not To Close
If only it was as easy as just taking Tom Messner’s word and having a decision made before it was time
to call it a night …
The record-breaking snow that was dumped on Buffalo, N.Y. recently was a harsh reminder that winter
is officially here and as if you weren’t already well aware, weather in Vermont is an unpredictable thing.
While most of the world is asleep, the temperatures can massively fluctuate within a few hours, leaving
roads and sidewalks as ever-changing, unknown variables.
As the Communications Coordinator for Chittenden Central Supervisory Union, I am responsible for
notifying families in the early morning hours if schools are closed or delayed on those weather-inflicted
days. While this may seem like a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision, the process that takes place prior to
messages being delivered involves many levels of input and communication.
Just last week I had the pleasure to attend the Governor’s Statewide School Safety conference in
Burlington and one message really stood out and was intertwined as Secretary of Education Rebecca
Holcombe, Governor Peter Shumlin, and keynote speaker William Modzeleski spoke. If you were asked
what the top concern of school systems is, you would probably answer by saying education. While that
is without a doubt right near the top, the actual number one priority is safety. Safety comes in many
shapes and forms and when the decision to open or close a school comes into play on a snowy Tuesday,
it’s the only factor that matters.
As community members, I wanted to give you a peak behind the curtain on how the progression of this
decision unfolds.
CCSU Superintendent Judith DeNova and I keep a keen eye on the weather throughout the week to try
and be as prepared as possible. Weather updates ping Judith’s phone throughout the night if storms are
approaching and by 5 a.m. each morning, she is already in consultation if there is even a question with
the following:
 Westford principal Marcie Lewis, who has been in contact with the Westford Town Garage and
the local bus transportation company
 CCSU Director of Property Services Bruce Murdough, who has been in contact with the Essex
Junction Public Works and/or the Essex Police Department
 Essex Town Superintendent Mark Andrews
Gathering information from these constituents then leads to a well-informed decision on the status of
CCSU schools that day. By 5:45 a.m., Judith then shares that with me and that’s when the highly
anticipated information starts to roll out.
The first order of business is sending out notifications using our emergency broadcast system, called
Connect 5. This alerts all families with a voice recorded message and an email to let them know if school
is delayed or cancelled for the day (and this is great time to remind you to keep your information up to
date with the administrative assistant at the school your children attend). I then notify the Vermont
Association of Broadcasters, which is how the scrolling updates appear on the bottom of your TV screen
and in the school closing updates on local radio stations. Next, a banner is created across the top of the

2. CCSU and individual school websites with this news, and finally a tweet is sent out from our CCSU
Twitter account (@51ParkSt).
We strive to have this information disseminated by 6 a.m. at the very latest, giving families time to make
or adjust their plans for the day accordingly.
How we communicate as a community continuously changes and I am always seeking feedback that you
might have to deliver these notifications as efficiently as possible. If you have any suggestions, please do
not hesitate to contact me by email: bdickie@ccsuvt.org
Now that you know how the decisions are made and communicated, have a happy and safe
Thanksgiving, make sure your shovels are handy and please forgive me if my voice is still a little sleepy
when your phone rings at 5:58 a.m. the next time mother nature decides to remind us that we still live
in New England.