Help! We’re cancelling our event!
How can we tell the world?
When
bad weather or an emergency forces school closings and delays, the
Communication
Services Division often gets calls from administrators who want us to notify the
public of canceled meetings, field trips and the like.
Here’s
how we can (and can’t) help:
1. Will the Communication Services Division notify the media for us
when our
school or department cancels a field trip or
meeting?
Generally, no. As a rule, Communication
Services communicates news of systemwide
importance or when an emergency situation
affects an entire school community.
Given
that FCPS has 60+ schools and many departments—each with its own schedule of
field trips, football games and curriculum meetings—it is impossible for one
office to handle individual schedule changes that occur when school is closed.
2. Okay, then how can we get the word out?
First,
consider the significance and impact of the change. Who is affected? How large
is the group? Is it a class, team or committee? Is it all your school’s
students or parents, or hundreds of teachers or students coming from around the
county?
* Phone, email or PA announcement —
Use these when your audience is relatively small and you have contact information
for them. For a field trip cancellation, for instance, make calls. A band
director can contact members about a canceled competition.
Use
the PA system to tell students tonight’s game is canceled.
* FCPS email distribution lists —
Perfect for groups such as School Counselors or Principals or all employees at
a school. You can reach everyone with the same message using the appropriate
distribution group. If the cancellation impacts employees at many locations
throughout FCPS but you don’t have their names or email addresses, send your
notice to all KeyCommunicators (or KeyCommunicatorsCentral or KeyCommunicatorsSchools)
and ask them to forward the news to appropriate staff. Every school and office
has a Key Communicator.
* Your school’s Web site —
Post a notice. Don’t forget to date it, and remove it when it’s no longer
current.
* FCPS TELEVISION (Comcast cable
channel 18) — Use only to announce items that have wide-reaching
impact and/or pertain to large external audiences (such as a Board of Education
meeting). Email dian.nelson@fcps.org or fax to
301-696-6958; copy your email to peggy.ballew@fcps.org
If you are postponing rather than cancelling,
give the new date.
* Local radio stations —
Local radio stations will typically announce cancellations of events such as
school plays or Parents Nights. Regional radio and most TV stations will not.
Go to http://insidefcps/dept/comm/default.cfm
(on the Intranet)
for media contact information, and make the calls or send a fax directly from
your desk. Be prepared to identify yourself.
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3. Can we put our school’s postponement announcements on
www.fcps.org?
Or send it via FindOutFirst
email?
These
are usually limited to news of systemwide or
wide-scale significance.
For
instance, they are not venues to announce a canceled sporting event. In the
case of FindOutFirst, emails can go to parents who
have subscribed and indicated that they have a student at your school; however,
delivery times vary significantly depending on a subscriber’s Internet
provider. If you’re interested in communicating via FindOutFirst,
email dian.nelson@fcps.org
with a copy to peggy.ballew@fcps.org
At the school level, this request must come
from the principal. Schools with their own FindOutFirst
service can send their own postponement announcements.
4. During bad weather season, what can we do to plan for possible
cancellations?
* Choose a snow or rain date in
advance and include it in all your communications to
participants.
* Adhere to the “What Schools Do in
Bad Weather and Emergencies” guidelines on page 5 of the Calendar Handbook.
Let participants know in advance that the guidelines will apply to your event.
* Refer to FCPS Regulation 400-2
(available at www.fcps.org), and let participants know in advance that it will
apply to your event.
* Provide a name and number for
participants to call if they have questions.
* Appoint someone to make
cancellation/rescheduling decisions and publicize
them.
5. What is the FCPS/Board policy about after-school and evening
activities on days when school is closed for weather or other emergency
situations?
When
schools are closed all day or dismissed early, all after-school and evening
activities are canceled, including events scheduled by outside groups (except
daycare centers operating in FCPS facilities, which independently make
decisions regarding modifications to their program schedules and communicate
accordingly with the media, the principal and the families they serve).
In
addition, as stated in FCPS Regulation 400-2, except for the daycare centers
referenced above: When the snow emergency plan is in effect in
In
rare circumstances, the superintendent may grant a waiver for schools to hold
an event even though the system is closed. Requests should be made to the
appropriate associate superintendent who will then review the matter with the
superintendent.
August 2009
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