Northern High School is committed to providing a safe and caring environment for our students. The following are links for relevant information on district and school practices and policies.
Tornado Watches & Warnings and School District Operations
Last fall, we encountered a rare situation in which the National Weather Service (NWS) had issued a tornado watch prior to the start of the school day. Some confusion existed as to the impact of this watch on our school day operations. Here is a reminder of how Forest Hills Public Schools operates during tornado watches and warnings:
Tornado Watch – When the NWS issues a tornado watch, the District will do the following:
• Continue a normal school day schedule.
• Move recess and other scheduled outdoor activities to inside the building.
• Ensure that a staff member in each building monitors official weather bulletins and local radar.
• Consider the impact of storm fronts and squall lines on the transportation of students; transportation times may be altered to avoid transporting students during a thunderstorm when a tornado watch is in effect.
• Cancel or postpone after-school activities and athletic events if the watch is issued prior to the start of these activities.
• Designate a staff member to monitor weather bulletins and local radar if a watch is issued during after-school activities and athletic events (these events may be halted at the discretion of the on-site supervisor).
Tornado Warning – When the NWS issues a tornado warning for any region encompassed by the geographical area of the Forest Hills Public Schools, the District will do the following:
• Issue the tornado warning alert/alarm/ announcement.
• Move people to designated shelter areas.
• Continuously monitor weather bulletins and local radar.
• Suspend all routine operations until the warning has expired (this may include delay of the starting and ending of the school day).
Recently, the NWS has changed many of their long-standing practices and protocols as it pertains to tornado warnings. Specifically, the NWS is no longer issuing tornado warnings for an entire county. Instead, warnings are issued for geographic areas in the probable path of a tornado. Also, the NWS is no longer only issuing warnings based on the visual sighting of an actual tornado or funnel cloud. Instead, the NWS will issue a warning at the presence of radar-indicated cloud rotation. Since radar-indicated cloud rotation is more prevalent than an actual tornado, we should expect tornado warnings to be more frequent than in the past.
We urge parents to refrain from coming to school to pick up their child during a tornado warning. The process of checking a child out of school diverts the attention of staff when their presence is needed to perform other important tasks during a warning.
Finally, children take their emotional cues from the caring adults in their lives. Please discuss with your family what should be done during periods of threatening weather. Severe weather watches and warnings are a common aspect of living in Michigan, and children are able to learn to calmly and deliberately respond to tornado watches and warnings.
If you have any questions regarding the District’s procedures during a tornado watch or warning, feel free to contact your child’s principal.
Please Call in Absences
Keep children home when ill. Individuals should be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications (Ibuprofen or Tylenol).
The safety and welfare of all our students require that a parent or guardian call the school office on any day a child is absent. Procedures for reporting student absences are basically the same at all Forest Hills schools.
If your child is absent from school, please call the school office to explain the reason for the absence. Calls to report student absences should be made as soon as possible during the morning hours, preferably before 10:00 a.m.
If your child will be absent from school for any reason other than illness, call the school office to make arrangements in advance.
On any day that your child is absent from school and no call is received to explain the absence, you will be called by the school.
Your cooperation in using these attendance-reporting procedures will be greatly appreciated. Please call the phone numbers listed below to report student absences:
Central High School
493-8712*
Eastern High School
493-8836
Northern High School
493-8610
Alternative Pathways High School
493-8670
*This number will connect you with a recorded message on an automatic answering machine at the school. Simply follow the instructions given.
Safety Hotlines Available
Two telephone hotline numbers make it possible to report any suspicion of a potentially violent incident on any Forest Hills Public Schools property or at any school related activity. This is one of many suggestions made by the Safety Task Force to prevent a violent incident in our schools. In order to encourage people with critical information to use the hotline, callers will remain anonymous. The hotlines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Central High School: 493-8701 Northern High School: 493-8668
Policy for School Closings
Delay Days and Employee Attendance
When the start of the school is delayed (due to fog or other temporary conditions), all employees are to report to work at their regular starting times unless notified otherwise. Please use common sense regarding safety of road conditions.
TV/Radio Stations Notified of School Closings
The following local TV and radio stations are notified through the GRAIL System when Forest Hills Public Schools are closed due to weather conditions or other circumstance.
TV Stations:
WOOD TV-8 WZZM TV-13 WXMI TV-17
Radio Stations:
WOOD AM/FM WMUS WGRD WKLQ WODJ WLHT WLAV
Special Notes:
• When school is closed due to winter weather conditions, all after-school activities for the day will be cancelled unless specified otherwise by the Superintendent.
• In the event of early dismissal, notice will be immediately provided via list serve, web site, and local media stations.
2012-13 Schools of Choice
(updated 6-9-11)
Applications
Applications for the Schools of Choice (SOC) program will possibily be available beginning Monday, April 9, 2012. We will know exact dates in March 2012.
Eligibility
All students who reside in the Kent Intermediate School District (Kent ISD)are eligible to apply for SOC enrollment in any Kent ISD school district that has openings at their grade level. Students who have been suspended in the last two years or expelled may be excluded.
Transportation
Transportation is the responsibility of the student’s family.
Questions
For additional information, please e-mail questions to soc@fhps.us or call the Forest Hills Public Schools Pupil Accounting Office at 493-8826.
