CULLMAN, Ala. – Cullman County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shane Barnette said the district is closely monitoring weather conditions as a major storm system approaches north Alabama, but at this time no early dismissal is planned for Friday.
He said current forecasts indicate the most significant weather is expected to arrive later Friday night or early Saturday.
“As of right now, based on the information given to me we will not be releasing early on Friday. We expect the potential bad weather to arrive much later into the night or early Saturday,” Barnette said.
District officials are continuing to evaluate multiple weather models while considering transportation concerns, particularly for students who live in rural areas or travel long distances.
“Our transportation director and I take into consideration several forecasts and the recommendations from the NWS and our local EMA office,” Barnette said. “While we always discuss these forecasts, when there is doubt that we can keep all of our students, faculty and staff safe, we make changes to increase those odds. Student, faculty and staff safety always comes first.”
Barnette said decisions on potential school closures are made once forecasts and recommendations become more certain. District leadership has prepared multiple contingency plans in advance to allow flexibility based on how conditions develop.
“Once the recommendations and forecasts seem to be imminent, we make a final determination of which plan to follow,” he said. “Leading up to that, we usually create several scenarios or what-ifs that we can choose from based on the circumstances that we are faced with.”
Families should not expect a decision on possible closures for Monday or Tuesday until later in the weekend.
“A decision for Monday and Tuesday will most likely not be made until late Saturday or Sunday,” Barnette said. “However, depending on what weather hits Cullman on Saturday and Sunday most people will begin to make arrangements because I believe everyone knows that I will make the best decision to keep everyone safe.”
The school system is coordinating closely with emergency management and weather officials as the storm system moves closer.
“We are blessed to have a wonderful local EMA team, led by Tim Sartin, who has a heart to keep people safe,” Barnette said. “When we have the threat for storms or other emergency situations Tim and I usually talk on a daily basis. We all participate in conference calls with the NWS twice a day leading up to this event also.”
If school days are missed due to weather, Barnette said decisions regarding instructional time and possible makeup days will be addressed after students return.
“If we miss any days, those decisions will be discussed after we return,” he said. “We will take into consideration how many days we miss and whether there is a State of Emergency declared by the governor. Many factors go into those decisions but we will always make the decision that is best for our students.”
Barnette encouraged parents and guardians to focus first on safety and preparedness while staying alert for district communications.
“If we get the weather that is being predicted for our area, more than anything I want our families to make plans to keep their loved ones safe and warm during this event,” he said. “We will communicate our plans in several ways, including all-calls and social media. We will also give as much notice as possible. The most important thing at this point is for everyone to stay safe.”
