School Delays and Closures

In the event of a weather delay or closure, parents will be notified via the Blackboard Connect phone message system. The district also will post the notification on our district and school websites, and notify the news media.

When schools are closed:

• Before- and After-School Daycare Programs are cancelled.
• All activities scheduled in district facilities are cancelled.
• In-district sports events and team practices are postponed.

When schools are on a delayed start:

• Challenge School start time is delayed 60 minutes to 9:00 a.m. This is consistent with the district elementary schedule, not middle school. School will begin promptly at 9:00. Middle school students will start their day in 1st period. No Connections classes are held with a delayed start.
• Dismissal times will be the same as usual.
• Wolf Watch (our Before- and After-School Daycare program) will operate on a normal schedule.
• We will monitor conditions throughout the day and make a decision about whether it is safe to hold after-school activities. We will communicate that decision as early as possible before the end of the school day.

Early Dismissal:

If serious storm conditions or other emergency situations develop during the day, the district will monitor the situation and advise affected schools and the transportation department as soon as possible, of a decision to dismiss school early. When this decision is made, this information will be posted on the district web site, recorded on the applicable area hotline and sent to the media as soon as possible.

Late Dismissal:

In case of dangerous weather warnings or other dangerous conditions, a school may hold students past their dismissal time for safety reasons. This information will be posted on this web site, recorded on the applicable hotline, and sent to the radio and television stations as soon as possible.

Important Information

We understand that some parents may make a different decision for their families. If you feel the weather is too severe to send your child to school, please call your school's attendance line and let them know your child will be staying home. The absence will be excused.

Deciding delayed starts and snow days:

Deciding whether to delay or close school when the weather gets bad, sets into motion a careful deliberative process that begins with the earliest predictions of bad weather.

The procedure for determining whether schools will start on time, be delayed or closed is as follows:

• The district receives ongoing weather forecasts from local meteorologists, AccuWeather and NOAA.
• If snow is forecast, the superintendent, assistant superintendent of Facility Support and Transportation Department staff wakes at 3:00 a.m., survey their immediate areas, and begin driving the district in quadrants.
• Beginning at 3:30 AM, area drivers report conditions to the superintendent and transportation director.
• The district contacts neighboring districts to share information and recommendations.
• The forecast is reviewed again.
• Before 4:30 AM, the transportation director and facility maintenance leaders shares information and discusses potential recommendations with the superintendent.
• The superintendent reviews all available information and makes the final decision by 5:30 a.m. Once the decision is made, it cannot be changed, even if the weather forecast changes.
• If a delay or cancellation is to be implemented, families will receive a ConnectEd call no later than 6 a.m. and notifications are sent to local media agencies and posted on the district website and social media.
• In rare cases it is possible for the district to make decision the evening before for the next day. When that happens, families will be notified between 9 and 10 p.m.