Detailed Snow Route Information
Inclement Weather Action Protocol
Transportation staff will plan to review road conditions when weather forecasts or first-hand observations indicate the onset of inclement conditions. If no forecast or observations of possible poor conditions exist, transportation staff will not initiate early review of roads. If forecast or observations exist by the prior evening, the following process will be initiated:
The Superintendent will make final decisions for all school closures. In the absence of the Superintendent, the Director of Business will oversee closure decisions.
1) Near 3:00am Welches area transportation staff will call the transportation supervisor to report initial conditions in the area.
2) By 3:30am, five designated transportation staff will be requested to drive roads in different regions including; Government Camp, Lolo Pass, Shorty’s Corner, Wildcat Mt., Bull Run Road, Ten Eyck Road, Marmot Road and Boring. Drivers will report conditions to the transportation supervisor.
3) By 4:00am transportation supervisor will make a first report to the superintendent regarding road conditions and recommendations.
4) By 5:00am transportation supervisor will provide a final update to the superintendent prior to any closure action decision.
5) Near 5:00am superintendent will make an initial call to delay or close schools. Superintendent will contact the communications director who will in turn report the decision to the media notification web site.
- If it appears clear conditions are progressively deteriorating school will likely be closed.
- If there is a possibility of improvement, school will likely be on a two-hour late start.
- Snow routes will be designated as recommended by transportation supervisor.
- When appropriate, specific buildings rather than the entire district will be have a late start, be closed and/or put on snow routes.
The superintendent or director designee will directly contact school administration regarding closures. Official closure notice will not come from transportation or other individuals.
6) By 7:00am, if a late start was called, the transportation supervisor will provide an additional update to the superintendent who will make a final decision on whether to close schools, notify staff and report to media as outlined previously.
Once students have been delivered to school, our intent is to retain them for the full school day if at all reasonable. Assembling drivers and notifying parents to make mid-day student delivery is very difficult. Nonetheless, on occasion deteriorating conditions may require early dismissal. In this case the road assessment process will be similar to that described previously with the decision communicated in the same manor.
When a closure is made it will include a mixture of the following elements. Communications to staff and parents will clearly indicate which elements or options are involved.
Closure options prior to receiving students for the day may be:
- Closed
- 2 hours late
- (___) School closed
- (___) School 2 hours late
- No AM Headstart
- No after school or evening activities
- All district closed ___hours early, or closed at ___ PM.
- (___) School closed ___ hours early, or closed at ____ PM.
Transportation options may include:
* All buses on regular routes
* AM & PM buses on snow routes (if the entire district closes early for snow or ice, this will always be the case)
* Specific buses on snow routes
* Specific bus routes not run (this is rare, but may occur do to specific road conditions for a single route)
If only Welches School is closed or two hours late, but Sandy High School is open, Mt. Hood Area high school students will be picked up at the Hoodland Fire Department at 6:45 am.
Transportation for the students of Oregon Trail School District is provided by Student Transportation of America (STA). STA prides itself on being a family and community minded business. Building on this family business culture, CEO Denis J. Gallagher began in 1997 with the goal of becoming North America’s premier safe, community focused, employee eccentric and service oriented student and special service transportation provider. STA remains dedicated to developing and nurturing a unique company culture that focuses on employees, customers and the Sandy com
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