School Closing Procedure
Telephone Broadcast System
Effective immediately, District 7 will implement a telephone broadcast system that notifies all households and parents by phone within minutes of an emergency or unplanned event that causes early dismissal, school cancellation, or a late start.
Please make note of the following information in order to ensure that the system works the way it is intended.
Caller ID
Your Caller ID will display 618-656-1182, which is the main number for Edwardsville District 7.
Live Answers
There is a short pause at the beginning of the message, usually just a few seconds. Answer your phone as you normally would (e.g., Hello, and hold for the message to begin) Multiple “hellos” will delay the message. Inform any family member who may answer the phone of this process.
Answering Machines/Voicemail
The system will detect that your machine has answered and will play the recording to your machine. The maximum number of rings before hang up is five (5). Make sure your machine answers after four (4) rings, or you may miss the message.
Morning & Day Calls
In the event a cancellation decision is made the night before, or in the early morning hours, the broadcast message will be sent only to home phone numbers. In the event a cancellation decision is made mid-day, the broadcast message will be sent to home, cell, and work numbers.
Message Repeat
At the end of the message, you will be prompted to “press one” to hear the message again. This is very effective when a child answers the phone and hands it to a parent, who can then repeat the message in its entirety.
Procedure for Early Dismissal Due to Inclement Weather
The District will take all possible measures to avoid sending students home during the middle of the day when parents are often at work. However, if necessary, a decision will be made by 11:00 a.m. to dismiss school early due to weather conditions.
The following notification procedures will support the new broadcast system:
- On days when inclement weather occurs or is pending, the decision to cancel school will be made by 5:00 a.m. (the message will be broadcast to home phones).
- On days that it may be necessary to dismiss school early because of inclement weather, the decision will be made by 11:00 a.m. (the message will be broadcast to home, work, and cell phones).
- The following TV outlets will carry school closing information: KMOV-TV, CHANNEL 4 NEWS; KSDK-TV, CHANNEL 5 NEWS; FOX 2 NEWS/KTVI NEWS 30; ECTV, CHANNEL 993, LOCAL ACCESS TV.
- Parents may also check the district website at www.ecusd7.org or utilize the Telephone Broadcast System to receive calls and/or text messages.
- Parents are encouraged to make the necessary arrangements to meet their children on early dismissal days.
Early Dismissal
If the decision is made to dismiss school once students are in attendance, the decision will be based on getting all students home safely before the weather deteriorates to the point that the roads and streets are hazardous.
Based on the weather and road conditions, the schedule will be posted as determined. For more information, please check the Safety Alerts Web page.
