Winter Weather Notification Center

Weather conditions may require the Elizabethtown Area School District to close schools, delay the start of school, or dismiss early to ensure the safety of students and staff. Families are encouraged to have a well-prepared plan in place for these unplanned events. Learn more about the District's Winter Weather Decision-making Process.

Because the District can quickly share weather-related updates online, the first announcements will typically appear on our website and social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). Direct communication will follow shortly afterward (see District Notification Procedures for Weather-Related Scenarios below). Additionally, notifications may be posted to local media outlets like NBC8, CBS21, ABC27, FOX43, and Lancaster Newspapers.

Whenever possible, we will make closure or delay decisions the night before a weather event. If that’s not feasible, the final decision is typically made by 5:15 a.m. on the morning of the event, with communication to families starting immediately.

District Notification Procedures for Weather-Related Scenarios

Below is an overview of how the District will directly notify families for different weather scenarios:

• Closures, Delays & Bears Virtual Days (Morning of Decision): Email and text (no phone call).
• Closures, Delays & Bears Virtual Days (Night-Before Decision): Phone call, email, and text.
• Early Dismissals: Phone call, email, and text.

More information on Bears Virtual Days.

Keeping Your Contact Information Up to Date for Important Alerts

To receive important alerts, such as weather-related notifications, the phone number, text number, and email address you wish to use must be on file in our Student Information System. Please take a moment to review and update your contact information to ensure you receive these messages without interruption. For any updates or changes, contact Becky Greenly by email at becky_greenly@etownschools.org. Keeping your contact information current ensures seamless communication from the District.

Action Required for EASD Text Message Notifications

To comply with a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate, you must take the following action to receive EASD-issued text messages:

• Send a one-time text of "YES" or "Y" to 67587 from the device that you want to use for receiving text notifications. This device must also be on file in our Student Information System.

Please note that if you do not complete this step, your device will block our messages, preventing you from receiving important updates from the District. If you are already receiving text messages from EASD, no further action is needed, as you’ve previously completed this step.

Questions

For questions about the District's winter weather notifications, please contact Troy Portser by email at troy_portser@etownschools.org.