Those who were in Austin earlier near the end of last year may remember the incident when it snowed, only for school to continue. The lack of any action taken resulted in a negative response from some of the student body, so I spoke with the RRISD Weather Response teams to get a clearer picture of what actions RRISD would take in the event of inclement weather. While it was some time before a meeting could finally be arranged, I was finally able to discuss what the RRISD Weather Response teams would advise in the event of inclement weather. Here’s a list of their responses to some possible events that I brought up during the meeting:

• Snow: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to wear warm clothing.

• Heavy Snow/Ice/Freezing Conditions: School will start and end at normal hours. Students who drive to school (as well as parents who drive students to school) are advised to equip their vehicles with snow chains to help improve traction in the icy weather.

• Heavy Rain: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to use umbrellas, wear rain-resistant clothing, and keep electronics secured from the rain until they are indoors. Some of the staff mentioned a “Jason”, but refused to elaborate, claiming it was an inside joke that I couldn’t understand.

• Flash Flood: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to bring life rafts, life jackets, and buckets in the event that the school floods. The District will also remind students and parents who drive their students not to drive over any streams of water, as the water may be flowing much faster than it appears to be.

• Meteor Showers: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to duck and cover or head into shelter to protect themselves from meteors. Any sort of barrier can be of some use, especially if it is a proper building, such as the school itself.

• Meaty Ore Showers: School will start and end at normal hours. The guidelines for safety from meteor strikes apply, with the added guideline that students must not attempt to harvest from or consume the meaty ores, due to a risk of food poisoning.

• Nuclear Fallout: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to bring respirators, Hazmat suits, powered armor, or other gear that can protect against radiation. School lunch will not be available due to the risk of radioactive dust contaminating the food.

• Sandstorms: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to wear masks and other protective clothing, and to seek shelter in the event that sandstorms reach the school.

• Summoning of Ba’al, Nyarlathotep, Cthulhu, or any other eldritch entity: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to report any suspicious activities that occur on school grounds, and are warned to stay away from any suspicious figures that appear, especially if they do not appear human or humanoid.

• Solar Flares: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised to use caution when operating electronic devices, as many may become inoperable due to the flare.

• Supernova: School will start and end at normal hours. Students are advised not to look up at the sky due to the bright flashes that may appear. In the event that the school gets caught in the supernova itself, all classes for the day will be cancelled.

• The Immediate Collapse of the Space-Time Continuum In a Singularity (Black Hole): School will start and end at normal hours.
• Heat Wave: The team members only responded with a noncommittal shrug, stating that they did not know how often heat waves occurred in the Austin area, but that they would deal with them if they ever occurred.

With this weather policy, the RRISD Weather Response Team hopes to minimize the amount of confusion that arises from the various forms of weather Austin experiences.