School Closing Information

School Closing
To find out if school is closed:

- Check for the Emergency banner on the "Home" page of the website

- Tune in to your local news or radio station

- Visit www.facebook.com/oxfordcommunityschools 

- Sign up for School messenger logo to receive emergency phone calls, texts, and emails

- Upload the free Oxford CS app on your phone through Google Play for Android phones or Apple store for Apple phones for notifications.



The decision to cancel school in the district is not one that is taken lightly, first and foremost it is based on student safety.
  The district understands that for many parents, the cancellation of school causes scheduling and work issues.  Our goal is to keep school in session unless conditions pose a significant risk to students.

The Superintendent makes the final decision to close school(s) taking many components into account.  The most common reason to close school is when snow and ice are an issue.  In the case of wintery weather, an assessment of the road conditions and weather forecasts, communication with the district Transportation Director and the Director of Operations all factor into the decision.

District officials check road conditions by driving throughout our nearly 80 square mile district and neighboring areas between 3:30 am - 4:30 am.  Paved and dirt roads are checked for drivability, especially where our buses need to turn around or backup.  There are circumstances when the back roads are ice covered yet the subdivision roads are clear which cause us to close school.  The majority of our district roads are dirt. 

When wind chills dip below -20, we consider school cancellation due to the potential of frostbite. Frostbite can set in on exposed skin within approximately 30 minutes. If the road conditions are not favorable, bus delays may push bus stop wait times posing a frostbite risk to our students with severe cold weather.

The State of Michigan allows schools six days of grace during the school year if the building cannot be opened for various reasons (weather, power outages, water, etc.).   If we use all six days we must reschedule the missed days over the limit.  There is a possibility to apply to the Michigan Department of Education for a waiver for up to three additional days.  Those additional days must be approved by the MDE, otherwise they will need to be made up to meet the total of required instruction days per the state.

When the decision to cancel school occurs the district notifies parents through its SchoolMessenger service which sends an email, phone call, and text to parents using its emergency notification services through information parents provide during the annual information update on their child’s account in August.  In addition, school cancellations are published on the district website at www.oxfordschools.org, on local radio and television stations, and on our district Facebook site.

However, if we should need to close school it is based solely on keeping our students safe. There is no way to be perfect with this, we can only make the best possible decision in real time with the best available information. The safety of our students is always our top priority.