Snow Closing

• The decision to close or delay the opening of school is made by Mike Hammond, the Headmaster of Lipscomb Academy.
• We try to have school open as often as possible; although safety is of utmost concern. Continuity of instruction is better when we don't miss school often. Missing too many days places us in a position of deciding when to make up days, which can also have a negative effect on families.
• Weather and road conditions can vary in different areas served by Lipscomb, so a sound decision for one area could not seem best for another.     
• The decision is made as early as possible before 6:00 am and is usually not made the night before unless there is snow or ice on the ground and the forecast is calling for colder temperatures overnight.
• Most public school systems call the night before, because they have many buses and children standing at bus stops. Most independent schools wait until the morning to call off or delay the opening of school. Nashville's location presents a challenge, since we are often on the borderline with temperatures and the type of precipitation.
• Many sources of information are monitored in trying to make the best decision. They include driving a large area through Brentwood, Oak Hill, Forest Hills, Green Hills, Crieve Hall, and the area around our campus late at night or very early in the morning. In addition to this, several other sources of information are monitored on the media and internet including weather reports, public and private school closings in our area, and traffic reports with road conditions.
• If parents and/or students have a difficult driving situation in their neighborhood, we expect them to use caution and will honor the parent decision about tardiness or absenteeism.
• Finally, communication of the decision to close school must be made to many people including television and radio news channels, administrators, faculty, parents, students, and several other employees in maintenance, food service, and campus safety. Our first efforts are to inform the media, have our personnel to put the announcement on the Lipscomb Academy website, and send electronic communications to families. Although we have a system for making the phone calls, it takes several minutes to notify everyone.

Mike Hammond
Headmaster