Decisions made regarding weather are always difficult when determining delays, eLearning or closings, but these guidelines will serve as a reference for the School Town of Munster. School Town of Munster (STM) believes the public expects schools to be open and to provide education, supervision and other services to its students. STM believes all parents are committed to keeping children safe and that parents will dress their children appropriately for the weather when sending their children to school. STM recognizes that it’s first and foremost a parental decision to determine if a child should attend school on inclement weather days. 

Announcements will be sent no later than 6:30 a.m. if we are delaying, eLearning or closing.
Following a delay, it will be announced no later than 8:30 a.m. if we will shift to eLearning or closing for the day.

Once the decision is made to change the school district’s regular operating schedule, that information will be communicated through a variety of ways:

• The District website – www.munster.us
• The District Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/SchoolTownofMunster
• SchoolMessenger message to parents and faculty/staff, which delivers messages to the email addresses and cell phone numbers according to each user’s individual preferences in PowerSchool.
• The WGN Radio Emergency Closing Center Network - www.emergencyclosingcenter.com

• Follow the instructions given in our message. This might include an alternate pick-up location for your child or a change to the schools’ dismissal times.
• Help keep the schools’ phone lines open by not calling in and asking for additional information. We will send updates as often as possible through the dedicated STM channels described below.
  • Email: 
    If you regularly receive non-emergency emails from STM, that means we have an up-to-date email address for you. If you have not received an email from the district in the past two weeks, please contact your school’s main office secretary to provide us with a current email address. If we do not have a current email address for you, you will not receive information via email in an emergency.
     
  • Website:
    We post timely messages about emergency situations on the district’s homepage - www.munster.us.
     
  • Phone:  
    Our automatic phone system will call all of the numbers we have on file for you in order, except for your work number. Please check your PowerSchool account to make sure we have up-to-date phone numbers for you. If you are a parent or student and need your login ID or password for the PowerSchool, please contact the main office of your school.

• To help cut down on misinformation in the community, please share the District’s messaging with local friends and neighbors who might not have received it —
  especially those without children attending STM schools.

Thank you for doing your part to keep the communication lines open
and for sharing accurate and factual messages with those around you.

When an emergency occurs at our schools, often the messages that are first circulated come from non-official sources. For example, a student texts a parent about an emergency and then the parent posts the text on Facebook, and the post is then shared by other parents, etc.

So, why does it take longer for the school district to send out an official message?Here’s what is going on in the STM Communications Department during an emergency:

The School Town of Munster communicates with many diverse audiences. Every STM communication, regardless of the audience, is to identify consistently and positively with the District. The Brand Toolbox is designed to implement simple and understandable branding within the District's brand.

The STM brand goes far beyond a logos, typefaces and color palettes. It defines who we are. It’s in every message we send and every personal encounter we experience on behalf of our District. From new hires to our youngest students, our brand is integrated into our daily interactions on behalf of the School Town of Munster.

The Communications Department has created resources in order to streamline the brand. The following resources are available for download:

• District and School Logos and Color Palettes
• Email Signatures

If you need assistance with these resources or a different file format, please contact Kim Peirick, Director of Communications at kcpeirick@munster.us. 

• Media who want to film, photograph or interview School Town of Munster employees, students, or board members should contact Kim Peirick at 219-836-9111 ext. 1038 or kcpeirick@munster.us.
  • The exception to this is athletic commentary from coaches and athletic staff regarding upcoming or recent sporting events.
• For scheduled interviews, questions should be sent in advance via email to the Kim Peirick at 219-836-9111 ext. 1038 or kcpeirick@munster.us.
• After school events that are open to the general public are also open to the media and do not require prior arrangements. Events during school hours DO require an appointment.
  • The exception is graduation. Please inform Kim Peirick if you plan to attend graduation.

• If a media member would like to visit a school, it should be arranged through the Director of Communications.
  • Be prepared to show a photo ID and identification from your organization upon arrival.
  • Visits during the school day may have limitations due to instruction, standardized testing or other events.
  • You will be accompanied during your visit by school district representative.

The media are invited and encouraged to attend all open meetings of the School Town of Munster Board. To minimize disruption, we ask that interviews of parents, staff, board members, or other participants be conducted in the hallway outside the board room or in a pre-arranged space. 

In an emergency, the corporation will work to supply timely information to the media through a spokesperson, written releases or a news briefing. During an emergency, media will not be permitted inside affected school building(s). Media will be assigned to a designated area that does not interfere with emergency response activities. The scope of information shared is determined by the ongoing response to the emergency, conflicts with privacy laws, the well-being of students and staff or the concerns of families.