FMS families,
We've been getting quite a few questions about our plans for handling bad weather, and we want to make sure you have all the information you need.
Here's a peek into our morning routine when bad weather is forecasted:
Our Transportation Department starts checking the roads between 3:00 and 5:00 in the morning. They drive around different areas of the City of Farmington, including La Plata, Bloomfield Highway, Jackson Lake, Wildflower, the Bisti Highway, and others, to ensure it's safe for our buses. We also check weather forecasts, expected precipitation, and NMDOT information. Occasionally, we reach out to other districts in the county. If our buses are heading to events, we contact the districts along the way. We make the decision each time based on these factors.
- If we determine that the roads aren't safe for travel, we make the first call to commuters at 5:00 a.m., followed by calls to parents and staff between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.
- When we decide the roads are safe, our buses start running by 6:30 a.m., and most students who ride the bus are dropped off at school between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.
Families need to know that once we start running buses at 6:30 a.m., the best thing for families and students is to get them to school. At that point, we can't change our direction because families are expecting us to pick up their students and bring them to school. If there's a need to cancel school during the day, we'll try to avoid it and wait until regularly scheduled release times. We do not want to bus students to an empty house.
Keep in mind that dealing with weather is unpredictable, so we do our best to make decisions in the best interest of everyone involved.
Friendly Reminders:
As the temperatures drop, FMS shares details about our procedures for bad weather and what steps to take in case of cancellations or a 2-hour delay. You can access that information [here]. Additionally, FMS sends out timely reminders to stay weather-ready and alerts as soon as we have the information.
For up-to-date information, visit our website farmingtonschools.us.