Frost Families,
With cold weather and snowy days come questions from parents about how it is determined whether it will be an indoor recess instead of an outdoor recess day. So, we wanted to take a few minutes to remind everyone of Frost’s policy and procedures. First, I would like to say that we don’t ever make the decision lightly. Also, keep in mind that we are deciding based on what is best for the majority of the 250+ students at Frost. Lastly, we make the determination based on the assumption that parents ensure that their children come with adequate winter attire-coat, hat, warm shoes/boots, and preferably gloves, and/or earmuffs.
The district’s policy regarding indoor vs. outdoor recess only addresses air quality. The policy is based on the Utah Department of Health’s measurement of the quantity of particulate matter in the air (PM2.5) – the higher the particulate matter, the worse the air quality condition and more detrimental to the body. A copy of the guidelines can be found under the “School Safety” tab on our school homepage (Indoor Recess Procedures).
Inclement Weather Indoor Recess
Here are some of the criteria that we will use:
- Temperature. The office will use the website: weather.com. If it is or feels like the temperature is 25 degrees or less, students will remain inside.
- We will also consider extreme conditions such as heavy rain or snowfall when deciding early morning access and/or inside recess day.
Air Quality
We will use the State of Utah guidelines when determining if the air quality is safe for students. The guidelines can be found at:
Air Quality – Recess Guidance (PDF)
Early Morning Access
To ensure students are not sitting outside in the cold waiting to enter the building, we ask parents not to drop their children off until at least 8:50. On mornings when the temperature is less than 25 degrees, the doors will be opened no earlier than 8:45 a.m.
After school, please make sure your student has been picked up or is on the way home no later than 3:50 p.m.
After considering these policies and procedures, one must remember that we are making the decision with all the students in mind. It is important that parents inform the school if their child is part of a sensitive group who should have limited outdoor physical activity when air quality is poor.
Sincerely,
Brandon Moore, Principal
