Advancement · School Operations

Make the 5 a.m. call
the same careful way every time.

Record each weather decision as you make it: the alert in effect, the readings, the roads and buildings checked, the decision and the minutes until families heard. Dangerous wind chill, heat and air quality are flagged, and the season adds up in the side panel.

Record a weather callWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the School operations toolkit, $49 for 32 items.

Weather decisions

The worked example is a made-up winter: a snow closure, a cold delay where the notice ran late, and an early release for a power outage. Decisions stay in this browser.

Loading the weather decision form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · School Operations$5 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per weather call with the day, hazard, NWS product, temperature, wind chill or heat index and AQI; five pre-decision checks; the decision with the times it was made and announced and the reason given; six audiences told; the make-up plan and lessons; flags for wind chill at or below -18°F, heat index of 103°F or more, AQI above 100 and above 150, and more than 30 minutes from decision to notice; season counts and the median minutes to notice.
Who it is for
Superintendents, principals, transportation directors and operations staff who make or carry out weather closure decisions.
Format
Browser checklist with any number of saved decisions. Prints one decision, the season or a blank form for the clipboard; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the School operations toolkit ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The School Operations space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Start a record the evening a watch is issued.
  2. Note the NWS product, temperature, wind chill or heat index and AQI.
  3. Work through the five checks: forecast, roads and routes, buildings, neighbors and bus-stop waits.
  4. Choose the decision, record the time, send the notice and record that time too.
  5. Tick each audience told, and afterwards note the make-up plan and what to change.

Record a weather call

Reading the alerts

What the National Weather Service terms meanAdvisoryWeather that is anuisance or could behazardous; take care.WatchConditions are right forhazardous weather; be readyto act.WarningHazardous weather is happeningor about to; actnow.What the National Weather Service terms meanAdvisoryWeather that is a nuisance orcould be hazardous; take care.WatchConditions are right for hazardous weather;be ready to act.WarningHazardous weather is happening or aboutto; act now.
A watch the evening before is the signal to line up route checks and messages; a warning is the signal to decide.

The readings that matter

Students wait at stops and walk to school, so the reading at bus time is the one to use. On the NWS wind chill chart, frostbite can set in within 30 minutes at wind chills near -18°F. A heat index of 103°F or more is in the NWS Danger range. An Air Quality Index above 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including students with asthma, and above 150 for everyone.

Telling families fast

Families plan childcare and work around the notice, so the minutes between the decision and the message matter. Logging both times shows where the delay is, whether it is the decision, a login or a phone tree, and the season median makes the trend visible.

Sources

  1. National Weather Service. Wind Chill Chart (weather.gov/safety/cold-wind-chill-chart).
  2. National Weather Service. Heat Index (weather.gov/safety/heat-index) and Watch, Warning, Advisory definitions (weather.gov).
  3. AirNow, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics (airnow.gov).
  4. U.S. Department of Education and partners. Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (rems.ed.gov).

The worked example is made up. This checklist supports a district’s own weather procedure; it does not forecast weather or replace NWS alerts. Decisions stay on this device until you print or export them. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.