Thank you for your interest in becoming a part of the School Watch Automated Closing system.
The purpose of this program is to notify the community in a timely manner when schools, preschools and large businesses close due to inclement weather, keeping unnecessary travel to a minimum when driving conditions warrant it.

In times past, we were limited greatly in our ability to include businesses in this program with less than 1,000 employees. With the implementation of our automated system we are now able to include more businesses whose closing would affect large numbers of families. However, we do have to set guidelines to ensure the integrity of our program whose sole purpose is safety and not a means of free advertising. This is an emergency notification system.

Please read over the following guidelines and if you feel you meet the requirements, please submit the informatino requested at the bottom of the page along with necessary verification documentation via fax to the attention of School Watch, 937-259-2168. Your pin and password will be sent back to you via email along with instructions on how to access the system.

Public or Private schools and Adult Education Facilities must have at least 100 students per day attending class with support documentation in order to be included on the list of schools on WHIO Television.

Day Care facilities must submit their license information showing the number of children their facility is licensed to care for to be included on the list of day care centers to air on WHIO Television. Type B daycare homes do not qualify. The minimum number of children is (50) per day.

Businesses must have at least 100 employees with supporting documentation in order to be included in School Watch Television broadcast. Businesses with less than 100 employees can still request a pin and password. Their business will be listed on the stations websites. (k99online.com, newstalkradiowhio.com, 953theeagle.com and whiotv.com )

Special Schools and other instructional for profit businesses with less than 100 students will be listed on the media outlets websites only and are considered a general business not a school.

Restaurants and other businesses whose patronage is elective will not be included in the School Watch Automated Closing program.

Shopping malls as a whole will be included in School Watch. Individual stores inside a Mall will not be included.

Libraries will not be included in the on air listings of business closings, but will be on the websites.

Church closings will be included in School Watch on weekends only.

Medical office groups whose closing affects more than 100 employees will be included on WHIO television with support documentation. All Urgent Care facilities are included on School Watch as well as hospitals. Individual doctor and dentist offices will not be included in School Watch. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances that should be considered, you are welcome to include it with your application.

Meeting level cancellations will not be included on television or radio. Organizations or groups who do not already have issued a pin and password will not be posted until they have gone through the application process. No closings will be posted via a phone call to the station unless a pin and password has already been assigned.

Support documentation: Any documentation you have that verifies the number of people you employ and or service from a government entity such as license to operate a daycare with child limits specified, workers compensation statements that show the number of employees covered, etc.

It was with great consideration that we decided to move the "general" category of businesses to being displayed on the stations websites only. More people in the Miami Valley have Internet access than have cable television service. This new medium makes it possible for us to include more businesses and organizations than is possible with the television on-air scroll. The online listings are updated every 60 seconds. No waiting for the scroll to go through the alphabet. When sending out your winter weather closings information to employees or parents, we suggest you direct those with Internet access to the websites for a faster way to check closings. Times are changing and in order to keep up, we have to change with them.

We look forward to working with you in the coming years to make sure our children and families remain safe when dangerous weather threatens.

• Name of business/school
  
• Type of business (school, daycare, preschool, adult education, government office, etc)
  
• Address, City, State, Zip and County
  
• Primary contact person and after hours contact phone number
  
• Number of employees/students (attach verification documentation)
  
• Valid email address to send pin and password