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District Communications

Dear Families, Students, and Community Members,

I want to share with you the procedures we follow when deciding to cancel school, delay the start of the day, or dismiss students early due to severe weather or other emergencies. My goal is always to give families as much advance notice as possible, knowing that arranging child care and adjusting schedules can be challenging on these days.

A. Cancelling School
When bad weather is expected, I’m in direct contact with several key people: our Director of Buildings and Grounds, the Hopkinton Public Works Department, and the Hopkinton Police Department. Together, we assess road and sidewalk conditions to determine if it’s safe for buses, drivers, and walkers to travel.

If school must be cancelled, you’ll hear from us in multiple ways:

  • An automated phone call, email, and/or text through SchoolMessenger.
     
  • Posts on Facebook, Instagram, X, and the HPS website.
     
  • Announcements on local TV stations: CH 4, CH 5, CH 7, CH 10 (Hopkinton Educational Access), and CH 25 (Fox).

Please help keep the Police and Fire phone lines open for emergencies on these days.

B. Delayed Openings
Sometimes, instead of cancelling for the entire day, we’ll delay the start of school by one or two hours. If that’s the case, we’ll share the same types of notifications listed above, along with whether it’s a one-hour or two-hour delay.

For example, if your child’s usual bus pickup time is 8:35 a.m., a one-hour delay means pickup at 9:35 a.m. Morning preschool will be cancelled on delay days, but lunch will still be served, and dismissal will happen at the regular time.

C. Emergency Dismissals
While rare, there are times when worsening conditions require us to dismiss students early. If this happens, you’ll get an automated message, see updates on Facebook, Twitter, and the HPS website, and hear announcements on the local TV stations listed above.

Please make sure your child knows where to go if you cannot be home—whether that’s with extended family, neighbors, or trusted friends. Afternoon preschool is likely to be cancelled in these situations.

Your child’s safety is always our top priority. Even if school is open during inclement weather, families may decide to keep their children home if they feel road conditions are unsafe. We respect and support that decision.

Thank you for your cooperation and flexibility as we work to keep our students safe in all weather conditions.

Sincerely,

Evan Bishop
Superintendent of Schools