Delayed Openings and Emergency Closings

When school is delayed, dismissed early or closed due to inclement weather or an emergency situation, the district or school will activate our electronic notification system, School Messenger, and send a message via telephone and e-mail. A message will also be recorded on the Bedford Central School District tape at 241-6000. Local radio stations such as WHUD 100.7 FM, WFAS 1230 AM, 103.9 FM and 106.3 FM will also broadcast announcements, in addition to News Channel 12 and cable channel 18.

School Messenger Emergency Notification Service

The safety of the students, faculty and staff at Bedford Village Elementary School is of top priority. For that reason, the Bedford Central School District has adopted the School Messenger Emergency Notification Service as one means to notify parents of an emergency or incident at BVES. This service will send a telephone and/or email message to all parents within minutes after an emergency or incident has occurred.

Parents should have received in their welcome packet a School Messenger form that requested one direct dial telephone number and/or one email address for this purpose.

Emergency Information

At the beginning of the school year, parents confirm their Demographic Information which includes telephone numbers where they and alternate sources of help can be reached, should their child become ill or injured in school. This information is extremely important and the Main Office must be notified of any contact information changes during the school year.

Emergency/Early Dismissal Class Parent Calling Procedure

In the case of an early dismissal or evacuation, class parents attempt to call all families to alert them of the situation and to help BVES assure that no child will be sent home to an empty house.

All families have been asked to submit a BVES Daily Dismissal Plan.  In the event of an emergency or early dismissal or evacuation, children will be dismissed in accordance with their usual Daily Dismissal Plan.

In the event of an early dismissal or evacuation, class parents will attempt to reach every family by telephone and will report to the BVES Main Office the names of any families who could not be reached (live). The calling procedure is as follows:

  1. BVES Main Office calls Class Parent Co-Chairs to notify of early dismissal and need to initiate phone chain.
  2. Class Parent Co-Chairs contact each Grade Coordinator, who then contacts the Class Parents. The Class Parents attempt to reach parents of each family by phone.
  3. Until a parent/guardian is reached, class parents call ALL parents (mother and father) at home, work, and on cell phones to try to notify of early dismissal.
  4. If NO LIVE PERSON is reached on the home phone, a message is left as follows:  “If we are unable to reach you at any of the listed numbers, then your child will be kept at school until you can pick him/her up.  We will continue to try to reach you and your spouse at all listed emergency numbers.” (A different message may be conveyed depending on the emergency.)
  5. Class parents should only call the youngest sibling of a family (calls to multiple siblings can result in conflicting reports to the Main Office from multiple class parents).
  6. After making calls, class parents call BVES Main Office (234-4178) and report names of families of which no parent could be reached.  If possible, send a fax to 864-3493 and then call the office to confirm receipt.  Class parents should report back to their Grade Coordinators to confirm that their calls have been made.
  7. BVES Main Office will attempt to reach emergency contacts to let them know of early dismissal.
  8. Children whose parents are not reached via phone call will remain at school until parents or other emergency contacts are able to pick them up.
  9. Class parents may not accept any information about changes in families’ dismissal instructions for that day.  Children will be dismissed in accordance with their usual Daily Dismissal Plan and necessary deviations from such plans will be at the discretion of the BVES Main Office.  If changes are necessary, parents must contact the office directly.

Note:  GENERALLY, NO PHONE CHAIN IS REQUIRED WHEN THERE IS A DELAYED OPENING OR A SCHOOL CANCELLATION OR WHEN THE PRINCIPAL FEELS THE SCHOOL MESSENGER SYSTEM HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE.