09/25/2026
Dear OCSU Families,
As we continue our Strong Start September, I want to share two important aspects of keeping our school communities safe: emergency preparedness and weather-related decisions. Each of our schools follows Vermont Agency of Education requirements and maintains an Emergency Operations Plan specific to its building and community. These plans address medical emergencies, severe weather, building security, evacuation, sheltering in place, and family reunification. We review our plans annually with local emergency responders and practice age-appropriate safety procedures with students and staff. Families will receive advance notification of scheduled safety drills. Our goal is to ensure that every student feels safe, supported, and ready to learn.
With the colder months approaching, I also want to share how we make decisions about school closings, delayed openings, and early dismissals. As you know, weather in the Northeast Kingdom can vary significantly from one town to another! To make weather related decisions, I typically begin at about 3:45 am to closely monitor forecasts and warnings for each one of our communities, looking at predicted conditions mile by mile and hour by hour. I also work closely with our transportation coordinator at Butler’s Bus Service, who gathers firsthand information from town road crews and bus drivers. After multiple check-ins with our transportation coordinator, conversations with neighboring superintendents, and continued monitoring of conditions, I make the final decision. While we cannot predict every change in the weather, the safety of our students, staff, and drivers is always my highest priority. Please reach out and let me know if you have any suggestions about how I might improve the process of making these decisions.
I know that changes to the school day can create challenges for families, and I sincerely apologize for that inconvenience. Whenever possible, morning decisions will be communicated by 5:45 a.m. through local news outlets, social media, and our automated notification system, which sends voice calls, text messages, and emails. Please ensure your child’s school has your current contact information and that you have a backup plan for unexpected changes. We are fortunate to have a dedicated team at Butler’s Bus Service who care deeply about safely transporting our students. Occasionally, staffing or other challenges may require routes to be combined, schedules to change, or a route to be canceled. Having a plan for alternative transportation, childcare, or early pickup will help your family navigate these situations.
Finally, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of our OCSU families. Keeping our schools safe and our students ready to learn takes all of us working together. Whether you are updating your contact information, preparing a backup plan, reinforcing safety expectations with your child, or showing patience when plans change, your partnership matters so very much. Thank you for the trust you place in us each day and for the many ways you support our schools. We are grateful to be part of your children’s lives and look forward to a wonderful school year together!
Warmly,
Jackie Ramsay-Tolman
Your OCSU Superintendent
