Delays & Early Dismissals

Our district recognizes that the decision to open, close, or delay schools due to weather conditions has an impact on our students and families. As these decisions are made, our top priority is the safety of our students.

When bad weather affects the area, we make the decision to open/close schools or modify the school day schedule based on a careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

• Information on road conditions from our transportation staff, from local road crews, and in some instances from law enforcement agencies. We give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in the district, which can be treacherous, even if your street looks clear;

• Amount of accumulated snow and ice;

• Whether precipitation is expected to continue throughout the day, including weather alerts. We cannot make decisions to delay or cancel school based on a forecast alone;

• Temperature and wind chill (wind chills at or below -15 °F during key walking and waiting-for-bus times are given special consideration);

•  Impact on our transportation fleet (school bus diesel fuel begins to gel at an ambient temperature of 0 °F);

• Storm timing;

• Building conditions (such as heat, electricity, and water); and

• Parking lot conditions.

The Superintendent makes the decision, based on the factors and recommendations from the Business Manager, who oversees transportation and maintenance, the Transportation Supervisor and the Maintenance Supervisor.

The Superintendent strives to make the decision to close or delay by 5:45 a.m. or earlier so we can post information to our website, ParentSquare and notify TV stations. Unusual weather conditions may force us to make the decision after this time. Updated postings and notifications will be made as quickly as possible if changes occur.

Extracurricular activities will proceed as scheduled if a two-hour delay is called, but please stay tuned to the district’s website for possible changes depending on the opponent district’s situation.

In the event school is canceled due to inclement weather, middle school practices and events will be canceled. Varsity practices may take place later in the day if conditions and/or the forecast improve. Varsity coaches and the athletic director are responsible for the decision regarding practices.

Decisions about varsity and junior varsity games on calamity days will be made in collaboration with the athletic directors and principals of the schools involved.

Weekend events also have the potential to be impacted by the weather. If we must cancel weekend events, this information will be announced on the district’s website.