Please visit this page during inclement weather for up-to-date SD program and office closings.
To view our closings flow chart, please click here.
Dear SD Families,
With the winter here, we’d like to let you know how we will be dealing with the potential impact of inclement weather and illness that typically accompany this wonderful time of the year!
All Windsor based services close when Foundations Upper Valley closes. As regards public school-based services throughout Vermont, we are unable to provide school services if the school is closed.
As regards home based services in northern Vermont funded by Medicaid, Medicaid waivers (Transition ii/Aris) and/or private insurance, if road conditions are safe and staff can safely make it to the work site we will do our best to provide services as outlined in the included flowcharts if you choose to have services under these conditions.
If you choose to have us attempt to provide services, staff will not be able to drive clients if there are potential or hazardous conditions. If this is the case, families will be asked to transport clients to the program site (e.g. Williston or Montpelier office) where services will be provided as available. In order to keep staff, clients, and families safe and off the roads during busy commute times for the day program times will be adjusted as outlined in the included flowcharts under the specified conditions. You should sign up for email/text notifications from the school district in which you live to receive the most updated notifications. You will receive an email in the morning by 7:00 AM from sdalerts@sdplus.org telling you the open/closed/delayed status of the SD offices. This status will determine what services are available during closings or delays. If there is an early school or office closing time and program will be ended early, you will receive an email from sdalerts@sdplus.org by 11:00 a.m.
Other driving considerations: staff will transport to and from company activities. This is not typically an ABA service for most cases so we need to be thoughtful of how these trips are being conducted. Staff cannot, for liability reasons drive siblings or friends in their vehicles unless it is to meet a therapeutic goal and is not a regularly scheduled event. For this to occur, it must be preapproved.
As regards illness, it is a SD Associates priority that we provide consistent programming. Therefore, if a staffer is to call out for home services we will do our best to provide a trained sub that can implement student specific programming. However, this is not guaranteed.
If your child is ill and cannot attend school, we will still provide home services if your child can still engage in programming. The level of participation can be altered to address client energy level, but participation is programming is necessary to warrant our services. If your child has been deemed contagious by a physician or other medical provider, however, and/or has had a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, we will not provide services. Once your child is able to participate in programming, is not contagious, and has been fever free for four hours, services can resume.
SD Associates is committed to being as family centered as possible and will accommodate schedules as much as we are able to. We have included a scheduling guidelines letter in this packet for your reference.
We always appreciate your feedback, so please let us know if there are any other ways we can support your child and family.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at lesha.rasco@sdplus.org. We wish you all the best in the coming year!
Sincerely,
Lesha Rasco
Operations Director
To contact us, please visit our contact page here