Emergency Closings Public Notice

  • Emergency School Closing
    2023 - 2024

    Public Notice

    Due to the adverse weather conditions in GV BOCES’s four-county service area, the Genesee Valley BOCES will cancel GV BOCES-operated programs by region. The three regions will be:

    Batavia Region:

    Including GV BOCES programs operated throughout the Batavia region (area of 11 districts – Alexander, Attica, Batavia, Byron-Bergen, Caledonia-Mumford, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield-Alabama, Pavilion, Pembroke, Wyoming -- normally sending pupils to the Batavia centers) except the Services Center in LeRoy.

    Mount Morris Region:

    Includes GV BOCES programs operated throughout the Mt. Morris region (area of 11 districts – Avon, Dansville, Geneseo, Keshequa, Letchworth, Livonia, Mount Morris, Perry, Warsaw, Wayland-Cohocton, York -- normally sending pupils to the Charles G. May Center in Mount Morris)

    LeRoy Services Center:

    Includes only GV BOCES programs housed and scheduled to take place or operated at the Services Center in LeRoy.

    It is important that staff listen carefully to radio announcements that indicate which region or regions are closing and report accordingly.

    Genesee Valley BOCES closing:

    1. GV BOCES designated administrator(s) will be responsible for the determination and announcement regarding closing for emergency and weather-related conditions.

    2. The Batavia or Mount Morris/Dansville campuses will close when half or more of the schools in their region make the decision to close.  If both Centers close, then the LeRoy Services Center will also close.

    3. The ISP Program at Batavia Robert Morris will close when the Batavia campus is closed and/or Batavia City Schools are closed.

    4. The WNY Tech Academy will close when Byron-Bergen CSD closes.

    5. In the event that all 22 districts close, all regions of GV BOCES will close.

    6. Any GV BOCES region(s) may close quite apart from the decisions of the component districts which it serves if conditions warrant.

    7. Every effort will be made to notify radio stations prior to 6:30 a.m.  Sometimes that deadline is affected by late decisions in other school districts (see #2 above).  The decision on closing the afternoon programs will typically be made by 10:00 a.m.

    8. Radio stations to be contacted are:

    WBTA
    Batavia
    1490 AM
    www.wbtai.com

    WBEN / WTSS / WKSE
    Buffalo
    930 AM   102.5 FM   98.5 FM
    https://www.audacy.com/wben

    WHAM/WVOR
    Rochester
    1180 AM  100.5 FM
    www.13wham.com

    1. Television stations to be contacted are:

    WHEC TV Channel 10
    whec.com

    WROC TV 8
    rochesterfirst.com

    WKBW Channel 7
    www.wkbw.com

    1. Emergency school closings are also posted on the Genesee Valley BOCES’s website: gvboces.org

    2. Mass Notification System:  All active employees are notified by phone, email, and/or text in the event of an emergency notification situation.

    Component School(s) Closed

    1. If there is a GV BOCES district-based class or a GV BOCES work site operating in a component school district, and the component school district is closed, no transportation will be provided.

    2. Unless prior arrangements have been made, there will be no transportation to GV BOCES programs from a district that is closed, whether the pupils are from Career and Technical Education, Special Education, or Alternative Education programs, or whether transportation is provided by a school district or a private contractor.

    Early Closing

    1. Early dismissals are strongly discouraged by GV BOCES; however, it has no control over the decision when it is made by a component school district.

    2. If such closings occur, the pupils will be sent home as soon as possible.

    3. If a component district closes early, any GV BOCES-operated classes within that district will also be closing early.

    Parental Decision

    Parents may exercise the right not to send their children to school on the basis of adverse weather conditions.

    In-service/Staff Development

    Typically, in-service and staff development programs will also be canceled if GV BOCES sites are closed.  Exceptions to this will be announced over the radio.

    Adult Education

    Adult Education classes in the region will also be canceled if regular GV BOCES programs are canceled.  Exceptions to this will be announced over the radio.

    Itinerants

    Itinerant staff are expected to follow the districts’ schedules and policies of the districts served.