Inclement Weather Process

The decision to close schools is both simple at times and incredibly difficult at times. We want our students in school and learning, but there are times when student and staff safety is the paramount consideration. Please take a few minutes to read about our process for determining school delays and closures and how you can stay connected to these updates.

 

Our goal is to make a final decision by 5:30 a.m. so that parents, students, and staff have time to navigate the impact of these decisions.  We do not make announcements if schools are open and operating on a normal schedule.

 

On days when snow and/or ice are predicted, we have a team that begins driving the roads throughout our District before 4:30 am to assess road conditions and possible hazards. We also check multiple forecasts to see what the weather will do in the near future knowing that conditions can change quickly between 5:00-8:00 am. We have a large District in terms of geographic area and the conditions in one area of the District are often different than another area so this factors into our decision-making process. Our primary concern when making decisions is always the safety of our buses, bus riders, student & parent drivers, and staff commuters. 

 

We do not drive every side road when making the decision to cancel or delay school. We focus on the main roads and our bus routes. Many of you live in neighborhoods or areas without plowing and very little traffic. We don’t factor those into our assessment. If the main roads and bus routes (even limited transportation routes) are safe, then we will be holding school.

 

How are school buses affected when it is snowing or icy?  

When road conditions on side streets are poor, we will run buses on “limited transportation routes for inclement weather”. Limited transportation routes are very different with new stops and different pick-up times. If your student rides a school bus, make sure to take a look at limited transportation route schedules on the Transportation tab on our website.  If you have questions, please call our transportation department at (360) 829-3361.

 

Information is sent by telephone and email using our automated messenger system and posted to Flash Alert, the District's Website, Individual School Websites, and the District's Facebook page. We encourage parents to:

 

 

Two-hour late Start. This allows everyone additional time to get to school and for temperatures to climb above freezing.  It also gives us time to work on grounds and facilities (i.e., de-icing, clearing sidewalks, etc.).  Visibility often improves later in the morning, as well. There are no a.m. preschool classes and no out-of-district transportation when schools operate on a two-hour delay.

 

Canceling School. This is necessary when the weather forecast and current conditions at 5:30 a.m. indicate that a late start won’t give us the time we need to run our buses and open our schools safely.  School closure is usually caused by snow and ice, but it is also possible for other reasons (i.e., wind, power outages, etc.). If we cancel school, we will make up the day later in the year.

 

Closing School after it Starts.  We never want to send kids home early once they are at school and we will try hard to avoid this difficult scenario.  This decision would only be made in extreme circumstances and staff would remain on site with students who can’t be picked up until later in the day. In the past, this has happened when we experienced extended power outages and severe flooding that threatened to close roads and prohibit us from getting kids home.

 

Yes.  We encourage families to make thoughtful decisions about whether or not they allow their teenagers to drive during inclement weather. There are days when we will have school even when the roads aren’t perfect. There are patches of snow and ice that can make conditions challenging for even the most experienced driver. Let’s work together to help our kids stay safe. Please know that we strongly consider our student drivers when making these decisions.