Emergency Information

Safety is the top priority at District 99, and keeping our schools safe at all times for students, staff and visitors. 

Click Here to Learn Our Safety Practices

The following outlines District 99’s emergency and severe weather notification procedures and how we will notify students, parents, staff and the public when weather conditions or a significant emergency cause a disruption during the school day.

Emergency Notification Procedures

An emergency notification will be issued by school officials as soon as necessary and without delay to communicate when:

• school is canceled* (decision will be made by 6 a.m.); or
• there is a change to the start or dismissal time; or,
• there is a disruption to the school day, such as a safety incident.

* District 99 has implemented an e-Learning program, so that learning may continue even if our school buildings are closed. For more information, visit the E-Learning page.

NOTE: We will always inform everyone in advance of an emergency test or drill. In the case of an actual emergency, students, families and staff members will automatically receive school and emergency email alerts and updates. 

In an emergency situation, families should not come to the school. Rather, they should wait for updates and instructions will be provided via email and text to families. We also ask that families use caution when referencing social media channels, as often these are sources of misinformation and rumors. 

School Closings 

The superintendent makes the decision to close school if weather conditions or a significant emergency pose a danger to students and staff. (See information below to learn more about how weather-related closures are made.)

All District 99 parents and staff will receive an automated phone call, email and/or text notifying them of a school closing. The system will leave messages on answering machines/voicemail or with someone answering the phone. 

• Parents/guardians will be notified by phone and email through the school’s notification system; students will receive an email in their school-issued email account. The notification system will send emergency notification messages to ALL phone numbers and emails on file for all guardians listed in Home Access Center (HAC), including mobile, work, and home numbers, and email. 
• Staff will be notified by phone and email through the school’s notification system, ParentSquare. The notification system will send emergency notification messages to staff to their district email, as well as the email address(es) and/or phone number(s) listed in Employee Access Center (EAC). Staff should check EAC to view and update contact information; click on “Demographic Information” and the “Update” button to modify. If you have questions, please contact District 99’s Human Resources.
• Parents, students and staff who have indicated a willingness to receive text messages from District 99--and who have their devices registered in HAC and EAC--will also receive a text message. 

Unless an emergency notification is issued as stated above, District 99 schools will be open.

Early Dismissals/Disruption to School Day

For unplanned emergency situations that may cause a disruption to the school day, such as a safety incident:

• Students and staff will be alerted to emergency notification information and instructions at school. 
• If the situation permits, staff also will receive a text message with this information and any additional instructions. (Staff members must subscribe to receive text messages.) 
• Parents will be notified of a lockdown or a shelter-in-place by phone, email and/or text through the school’s notification system. 
• Staff will receive a copy of the parent/guardian email through the school’s notification system. This email will be sent to the district email address as well as personal email addresses provided in Employee Access Center (EAC). 
• Parents, students and staff who have indicated a willingness to receive text messages from District 99 will also receive a text message. 

Information about disruptions to the school day will not be communicated with the public while an emergency situation is still in progress if a first responder determines that issuing an alert may compromise the efforts to contain, respond to, or mitigate the emergency. In those cases, information will be shared with the public after an all-clear is issued.

For All Emergency Notification Situations:

In the event of a closure or change in schedule, information will be posted to the district’s website at www.csd99.org and social media channels.

Local media will be notified, and District 99 will also report school closures to the Emergency Closing Center at www.emergencyclosingcenter.com, which shares this information with local TV news and radio stations.

Don’t Miss a Message! Update Your Contact Information

District 99 uses a school-wide notification system to deliver messages to students, parents, guardians, and staff. These messages are sent to phone numbers and email addresses that are provided to us and should be updated regularly as your contact information changes.

Parents/Guardians: Update your Contact Information in HAC - see directions here

Use the Registration icon on the top of the screen to update phone numbers and email addresses and to correct missing or incorrect information. 
Click the Edit icon at the far right of the contacts area if updates are necessary. It is imperative that we have accurate phone numbers and email addresses on record for all guardians. Other changes, including street address and emergency contacts, must be made by contacting the office of your home school.

Staff: Update your Contact Information in Employee Access Center here

On the “Demographic Information” page, click “Update,” make your changes, and click “Save.”

Students: You will receive email messages through your school-issued email account (@csd99.org). If you wish to also receive text messages, please add your cell phone number in HAC. 

 

Weather-Related Closures

How Do You Decide When To Close Schools?

The decision to close is based on many factors.

• Building conditions: Do the buildings have power, light and heat?
• Site conditions: Is the parking lot plowed? Can buses get in and turn around, can parents drop off students and are the exit doors free of snow?
• Bus operations: Can the bus drivers get to the bus company? Do the buses start and do the drivers feel comfortable driving?
• Road conditions: Are the roads continually plowed and is traffic moving?
• Air temperature: How cold is it? Are the temperature and wind chill bearable? (See additional info, below.)

If the answer is yes to all of these questions, most likely the decision will be to keep schools open.

Extremely Cold Temperatures

There are times when schools may need to be closed due to dangerously cold temperatures. In these situations, wind chill is also taken into account, as well as the extent to which the temperatures are sustained throughout the school day. District 99 has collaborated with the other associated school districts to develop consistent standards. We will likely close school based on extremely cold conditions when an extreme cold wind chill warning is issued by the National Weather Service during the times students are traveling to or from school. An extreme cold wind chill warning is typically issued when the wind chill will be -25 degrees Fahrenheit or colder or the actual air temperature is -25 degrees apparent temperatures are around -30 Fahrenheit or colder.

Who Makes The Decision And Where Do You Get Your Information?

The superintendent of schools makes the decision to close the schools. The superintendent consults with some or all of the following: area superintendents, associated feeder school superintendents, the bus company and the police departments.

When Do You Make The Decision To Close A School?

The decision to close the schools is usually made very early in the morning, before 6 a.m., unless we learn of severe weather conditions headed this way. That way teachers and students getting an early start to school can be informed.

It's not an easy decision and one that has an impact not only on teachers and students, but families and working parents. District 99 has implemented an e-Learning program, so that learning may continue even if our school buildings are closed. For more information, visit the E-Learning page. If schools are closed, another day of attendance is added to the school calendar, which can affect the graduation schedule, senior exams and vacations.