desk Closings and Delays

Radio and television stations are notified of school closings and delayed school openings. These stations are listed in the Frederick County Public School's Calendar-Handbook that is sent home at the beginning of the school year. Please check for your local stations.

Do You Know How to “Find Out First”?

FCPS offers lots of school news via Find Out First e-mail. In addition to emergency notices, you can receive: calendar updates, news releases, testing information, policy and procedure changes, proposed boundary and attendance changes, information about programs and services, cafeteria menus, BOE agendas, Channel 18 schedules, and much more!

It's easy to to sign up: Just visit www.fcps.org

Click the blue "Find Out First" envelope.Add your e-mail addresses ( up to 2) and check the news you want to get. You can change your options or unsubscribe at any time. At the click of a button, you can also tell a friend about the service.

To make sure you continue to receive snow closing and other emergency bulletins via email, visit www.fcps.org, click on Find Out First, and complete your profile. You can request only the news that interests you — late breaking news, Channel 18 program guides, redistricting information, Board of Education updates and more!

Sign up soon!

Parents can keep children safe by arranging for emergency backup care. Children should be taught what to do and where to go when schools close unexpectedly and parents/guardians are not at home.

When schools are delayed one hour, morning students will come one hour late and leave at their regular time. Afternoon students will come and leave at their regular times.
On days when school opening is delayed two hours, prekindergarten students will attend abbreviated sessions. The morning session will start two hours late, just the same as the rest of the students at the school and will dismiss one hour later than usual. That way, they will get a 1 1/2 hour session. The afternoon session will start one hour later than usual and dismiss at the regular time, providing a 1 1/2 hour session. This will give both morning and afternoon prekindergarten students an equitable instructional time.

Occasionally, only a portion of the school system may be closed or delayed. Announcements may include the term "feeder" along with the name of the high school. This means that all schools within that particular feeder system are affected. Emmitsburg Elementary School is part of the Catoctin feeder system.