Skip Navigation
Office Directory
Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures
Administrative Procedures
Administrative Procedures 2000 - Administration
Administrative Procedure 2565.1 - Employee Attendance During Inclement Weather and Other Emergency Conditions

Administrative Procedure 2565.1 - Employee Attendance During Inclement Weather and Other Emergency Conditions

I. Purpose

To provide guidelines and procedures governing employee attendance during inclement weather and other emergency conditions.

II. Policy

The Board of Education is committed to providing safe, healthy and supportive school environments, which are vital to student academic achievement and support for school system employees. (Board Policy 0118)

III. Background

Certain conditions, most commonly caused by inclement weather or other local emergencies, may require the Chief Executive Officer to open schools late, dismiss schools and/or offices early, or close schools and/or offices for the entire day. Nonetheless, it will be general practice of Prince George’s County Public Schools to maintain office and shop operations to the maximum extent possible, even when schools are closed for students.

IV. Definitions

The following definitions apply to the contents of this procedure.

  1. Authorized Leave: Leave approved in advance by the employee’s leave granting authority.
  2. Liberal Leave: Annual leave, or leave without pay if no annual leave balance is available, without advance approval from the employee’s leave granting authority.

V. Procedures

When it becomes necessary to cancel the opening of schools and/or Central and Area Offices, or revert to Virtual Learning or close early due to either inclement weather or another emergency, the following information will apply for all employee groups, respectively.

  1. When school facilities are closed due to inclement weather, the following announcement will be made to area radio and television stations, the PGCPS website, official social media channels, emails, texts, and phone bulletin board: “Prince George’s County Public Schools are closed. Code________ is in effect for all employees.”
    1. Code Orange – Schools and offices will open with a two-hour delay. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL must report to work on time and are not eligible for liberal leave.
      1. There will be no work-study transportation. (Those students should not report to school.)
      2. There will be no half-day Early Childhood Center (ECC), half-day Special Education Programs, or half-day Pre-K.
      3. Any other school program requiring transportation prior to 12 noon will NOT have transportation, including Howard B. Owens Science Center, JA Finance Park, and William S. Schmidt Center (Camp Schmidt).
      4. All field trips will be cancelled.
      5. Food Services will offer breakfast.
    2. Code Blue – Virtual–Learning - Schools are closed for in-person instruction; instead, all schools will operate virtually for teaching and learning. Administrative Offices will open two hours late. All 12-month personnel are expected to report. A Liberal Leave policy will be in effect for non-emergency personnel. Liberal Leave means that employees may elect to use annual leave, or leave without pay if no annual leave balance is available, without advance approval from their leave granting authority. However, employees electing to use Liberal Leave must notify their leave granting authority that they intend to do so for that day. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL must report to work on time and are not eligible for Liberal Leave.
      1. Instruction: Virtual for all students; no transportation
      2. Meal Service: Cancelled
      3. Buildings: Closed for students; Offices will open 2 hours late
      4. Non-Public Students: No transportation
      5. Athletics - Cancelled
      6. Evening School Program: Virtual for all students
    3. Code Green - Schools are closed for in-person instruction; all schools will operate virtually for teaching and learning. All Offices are closed for in-person work; all offices will operate virtually and employees may telework or utilize liberal leave. A Liberal Leave policy will be in effect for non-emergency personnel. Liberal Leave means that employees may elect to use annual leave, or leave without pay if no annual leave balance is available, without advance approval from their leave granting authority. However, employees electing to use Liberal Leave must notify their leave granting authority that they intend to do so for that day. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL must report to work on time and are not eligible for Liberal Leave.
      1. Instruction: Virtual for all students; no transportation
      2. Meal Service: Cancelled
      3. Buildings: Closed; Telework and Liberal Leave policies in effect
      4. Non-Public Students: No transportation
      5. Athletics - Cancelled
      6. Evening School Program: Virtual for all students
    4. Code Yellow – Schools are closed. All Offices are closed. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL only must report to work on time.
    5. Code Purple - Schools are closed. All Offices are closed. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL only should report to work with a two-hour delay.
    6. Code Red – The school system is closed for all personnel.
  2. Emergency Personnel
    1. When Code Yellow is in effect and schools, Central, and Area Offices are closed because of severe weather or other emergency conditions, only EMERGENCY PERSONNEL are required to report as usual.
    2. i. The determination of who is expected to work in such cases shall be made by the appropriate Chief Administrator, Area Associate Superintendent, or department head. Names of those individuals required to report on such days will be listed on an EMERGENCY PERSONNEL list maintained in the office of the Associate Superintendent of Supporting Services.
      ii. All employees designated as EMERGENCY PERSONNEL shall receive written notification upon appointment and annual written notification by August 15th of each subsequent school year.
      iii. Based upon the immediate needs of the school system, the Chief Executive Officer may designate additional Emergency Personnel to provide services during a specified period of time. Those personnel shall have the same compensation established for by the school system for Emergency Personnel for the designated period of time.
    3. Offices that are to be staffed to perform emergency functions on a day when Central and Area Offices are closed are:
      1. Communications
      2. Security Services Office
      3. Building Services
      4. Information Technology Services
      5. Other offices as required
  3. School-Based Personnel
    1. Ten- and Eleven-Month Employees
      1. When schools do not open: Normally, when school is cancelled prior to the time of scheduled opening, all ten- and eleven-month school-based employees will be given credit for a day of work which will not have to be made up unless students are required to make up the day. This includes personnel who are on authorized leave. In the event schools are not opened due to inclement weather or other emergency and additional student days must be scheduled, such days will be counted as part of the regular work year of ten- and eleven-month personnel. There will be no additional pay for these make-up days.
      2. When schools open but close early: On days when the schools open but are dismissed early, those ten- and eleven-month employees who reported to work will be given credit for a day of work and will be dismissed by the Principal or other appropriate official after student dismissal and assigned responsibilities have been met. Employees who do not report for work on a day when schools close early will not be given credit for a day of work. Employees on previously approved leave will be charged for a day of leave when schools are closed early.
    2. Twelve-Month Employees
      1. When schools do not open, but Central and Area Offices remain open: When Code Green or Code Blue are in effect and school facilities are closed for in-person instruction because of inclement weather or other emergency conditions, school-based professional and supporting employees are required to telework in accordance with their regular work schedule. School based emergency personnel are required to report to work in accordance with their regular schedule.
      2. a) When schools and Central and Area Offices Do Not Open: Twelve- month personnel on authorized leave when the Central or Area Offices do not open will be given credit for a day of work. Personnel on previously approved leave will be charged for a day of leave when the Central and Area Offices close early. If Code Blue is in effect, a Liberal Leave policy will apply for non-emergency personnel only and offices will open two hours late.
        b) When a twelve-month emergency employee works on a day when Code Yellow is in effect and Central and Area Offices are closed, the compensation for employees contained within the bargaining unit represented by AFL-CIO, Local 2250 and SEIU Local 400 PG will be determined at a rate of time and one-half (1½) with the option to select either pay, compensatory time, or a combination of both, with a maximum accumulation of compensatory time of 120 hours for employees contained within the bargaining unit represented by AFL-CIO, Local 2250; and 240 hours for employees contained within the bargaining unit represented by SEIU Local 400 PG.
  4. Non-School-Based Personnel
    1. Twelve Month Employees
      1. When schools do not open or go virtual, but Central and Area Offices remain open: When Code Blue or Code Green is in effect and schools are closed/virtual because of inclement weather or other emergency, and the Central and Area Offices remain open, all twelve-month non-school-based personnel are expected to work regular schedules.
      2. If Code Blue or Code Green is in effect, a Liberal Leave and/or Telework policy will apply for non-emergency, non-school based personnel only and offices will open two hours late.
      3. a) When schools and Central and Area Offices do not open: When Code Yellow or Code Purple is in effect and Central and Area Offices are not open on a regularly scheduled work day because of inclement weather or other emergency, non-school based personnel, including those on authorized leave with pay, will be given credit for a day of work and will not be required to report to work, except those individuals who are designated as EMERGENCY PERSONNEL and required to report to their job responsibilities.
        b) The compensation for EMERGENCY PERSONNEL contained within the bargaining unit represented by AFL-CIO Local 2250 and SEIU Local 400 PG will be determined at a rate of time and one-half (1½) with the option to select either pay, compensatory time, or a combination of both, with a maximum accumulation of compensatory time of 120 hours for employees contained within the bargaining unit represented by AFL-CIO, Local 2250; and 240 hours for employees contained within the bargaining unit represented by SEIU Local 400 PG.
      4. a) When Central and Area Offices close early: When Central and Area Offices are closed after the regular work day has begun because of inclement weather or other emergency, those individuals who have reported for work will be given credit for a day of work and will be released in accordance with the need for their services.
        b) When EMERGENCY PERSONNEL are required to remain on duty after the closing of the Central and Area Offices and after other employees have been released, the compensation for EMERGENCY PERSONNEL contained within the bargaining unit represented by AFL-CIO, Local 2250 and SEIU Local 400 PG will be determined at a rate of time and one-half (1½) with the option to select either pay, compensatory time, or a combination of both, with a maximum accumulation of compensatory time of 120 hours for employees contained within the bargaining unit represented by AFL-CIO, Local 2250; and 240 hours for employees contained within the bargaining unit represented by SEIU Local 400 PG.
        c) Personnel who do not report for work on a day when the Central and Area Offices are closed early will not be given credit for a day of work and will be charged a day of leave or time off without pay. Employees on previously approved leave will be charged for a day of leave when Central and Area Offices are closed early.

VI. Monitoring and Compliance

  1. The Associate Superintendent for Supporting Services will be responsible for monitoring and compliance for this procedure.
  2. When schools are closed due to inclement weather, the Communications Office will provide an announcement to area radio and television stations and update the PGCPS website, official social media channels, emails and text alerts.
  3. The Associate Superintendent for Supporting Services will maintain a list of all employees designated as EMERGENCY PERSONNEL each school year.

VII. Related Procedures

VIII. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

These procedures will be reviewed periodically by the Associate Superintendent of Supporting Services and changes will be made as necessary.

IX. Cancellations and Supersedures

This Administrative Procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 2565.1, dated December 21, 2020.

X. Effective Date

February 28, 2022

About This Procedure

Last Revised: February 28, 2022

Documents