CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman City Schools officials are closely monitoring weather conditions ahead of an approaching winter storm as administrators evaluate potential impacts to student safety, transportation and school operations.
Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff said school leaders are working with local and state partners while tracking conditions that could affect campuses and travel routes. The system has already taken preliminary action by canceling all school-sponsored activities beginning Friday evening and continuing through the weekend.
“Last night at our Board meeting, we announced that all school sponsored activities are canceled effective Friday evening through the weekend,” Kallhoff said. “Our schools are communicating to students and families on when those activities will be made up or rescheduled.”
As conditions develop, Kallhoff said safety indicators are the primary factor guiding any decisions related to early dismissal or school closures.
“In addition to local and statewide media sources, we communicate with the National Weather Service and Cullman EMA when working through weather-related issues,” he said. “We focus on any indicators that would impact the safety of our students, employees and families on our campuses or on the route to and from our campuses.”
Road conditions and on-campus accessibility are central to that evaluation process.
“In addition to functioning utilities at our schools, ice on area roads and walking areas on each of our campuses are the main indicators that drive our decisions,” Kallhoff said.
City infrastructure and student transportation are also factored into the assessment as administrators consider both morning and afternoon travel conditions.
A decision regarding classes for Monday and Tuesday is expected by Sunday afternoon, according to Kallhoff. Families and employees will be notified through multiple channels once a determination is made.
“We will make a call regarding classes for Monday and Tuesday by Sunday afternoon,” he said. “In addition to local media sources like The Cullman Tribune and social media, we will utilize our mass communication system to notify employees and families via phone call, text and email.”
Kallhoff said the school system is working closely with multiple agencies as the weather event unfolds.
“With all weather events, we work extremely closely with the National Weather Service, Cullman County EMA, Cullman City Police Department, the mayor’s office and our partners with the Cullman County BOE,” he said.
If instructional days are missed due to weather-related closures, Kallhoff said the response will depend on the length of the disruption and any state-level emergency declarations.
“This will depend on the duration of the cancellation,” he said. “If the governor declares a State of Emergency, then missed instructional days are easier to be forgiven by the Alabama State Department of Education.”
He said shorter closures may be absorbed into the existing academic calendar, while longer interruptions could require alternative instructional plans.
“If we only miss a couple of instructional days, then we will work to catch up missed content embedded in our remaining academic calendar days,” Kallhoff said. “If a substantial amount of instructional time is missed, then we will have to create a plan to catch up either virtually or by adding instructional days before the end of the 2025-2026 school year.”
Any adjustments, he said, would require formal review.
“In any of these scenarios, we will submit a plan to our local School Board and the Alabama State Department of Education for review and approval,” Kallhoff said.
Cullman City Schools officials encourage families to continue monitoring official communication channels as weather conditions evolve.
