Emergency Procedures: Inclement Weather

As a College committed to providing a quality undergraduate education, Platt College will try to remain open and encourage its faculty and staff to report to work even during periods of inclement weather. However, there may be times when weather conditions cause the College to delay the opening of College activities, to cancel classes and normal business hours, and/or to close the College early.

The safety of students, faculty and staff is of the utmost importance to Platt College. When inclement weather is expected or has affected the service area, the College will make every effort to report closings in a timely and accurate manner. The challenge faced by the College is that weather and conditions often change throughout the day and evening. The College will make every effort to ensure that closures, delays, and early dismissals are reported.

Please note: Driving conditions within the College’s service area may vary because of differences in weather patterns. Students should exercise their own judgment when determining if it is prudent to attend classes.

Procedures:

Inclement Weather Notification

When adverse weather conditions lead to a delayed opening and/or cancellation of classes and office hours at Platt College, information will be provided through the College's Emergency Notification System referred to as Rave.  Notifications are automatically sent to all Platt College email accounts and to student and employees cell phones via text messages (provided the individual has opted in to receive mobile messages).  Additionally, inclement weather closures and delays are broadcast via the College's website and social media feeds.

Early Departures

The College reserves the right to determine early release from classes, labs, simulation, or clinical experiences already in progress due to late incoming inclement weather.

Delayed Starts

When the College issues a delayed start, the starting time for that day's activities is 10:00 am MST. The following chart defines delayed starts per activity type.

Blended Courses (part face-to-face, part online hybrid)

10:00 am

Overlap Courses – 6 hours in length or longer

10:00 am

Clinicals*

Facility and instructor discretion. Check your College email for notifications.

Nursing Labs

Morning labs – 10:00 am

Afternoon labs as scheduled

Science Labs

Labs scheduled before 10:00 am are cancelled.  Labs scheduled after 10:00 am meet as scheduled

Simulation

Morning simulation cancelled. Afternoon simulation as scheduled.

Full Day College Closure

When the College is closed for the day, a decision is made as soon in the morning as possible.  If the College closes, clinicals are not necessarily cancelled.  The following chart defines College closures by activity.

Blended Courses (part face-to-face, part online hybrid)

Cancelled

Overlap Courses – 6 hours in length or longer

Cancelled

Clinicals*

Facility and instructor discretion. Check your College email.

Nursing Labs

Cancelled

Science Labs

Cancelled

Simulation

Simulation will be rescheduled and notifications will be sent with rescheduled dates from the Simulation Team.

* For more information regarding clinical and clinical simulation, refer to Policy 02:20:00 Clinical/Clinical Simulation Placement. 

Students are not expected to participate in class activities or course make up on the actual day of the closure. In face-to-face courses, students are responsible for any substantive content, not covered or postponed, due to class cancellations due to inclement weather. This may include additional hours of scheduled face-to-face time at the discretion of faculty. Alternately, students may be requested to make up content missed in other asynchronous formats at the discretion of the course faculty, for example; observing a recorded webinar or viewing a recorded powerpoint lecture.

Students in blended online courses may be required to swap their scheduled online and face to face course dates to meet the requirement for inclement weather makeup.

Assignments due on inclement weater days for all courses and labs will be turned in or completed in accordance with the individual faculty member.  Assignment submission dates are determined by the individual faculty; check the course messaging for further instruction.

Clinical Simulation

Closure of the college as a result of inclement weather will require that all simulations scheduled for that day be postponed. The Simulation Lab Coordinator will be in contact with students and faculty when a new date has been selected. A delayed start as a result of inclement weather will require that all morning simulations, prior to noon, be cancelled. All simulations starting at noon, or later, will continue as scheduled.

A College closure will not affect due dates for previously due assignments. A college closure on the due date, or consecutive closures leading up to the due date, of pre-simulation assignments will extend that due date by one day. An additional closure on the new due date, after the due date has been extended by one day will result in rescheduling of simulation irrespective of the college’s opening status the following day.

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