Emergency School Closure » Emergency School Closure

Emergency School Closure

 How is the decision made?

  • The superintendent checks temperatures at various locations including the local reporting agency. In addition hazardous road conditions are assessed. 
  • The director of transportation confirms air temperature and road conditions with Superintendent between 6:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. 
  • A decision is made in consultation with the County and City Road Departments and other local authorities.
  • School may be cancelled when the temperature reaches -20 degrees.
  • Wind chill factor may be taken into consideration.  

What about snow, ice and other conditions?

  • The district works with law enforcement, county and city road departments and the county safety director to determine if there are safety issues.

 How will you know if school is cancelled?

  • When the decision is made to close schools, PowerSchool alerts are sent out to all staff, parents and students. 
  • A post is added to the School District's Facebook page about the cancellation.
  • The Caribou County Public Alert System sends out a notification to anyone who opts into these alerts. You may sign up for these alerts on their website found at Alert Sense.
  • Each school building uses their individual POWERSCHOOL ALERT system to send notification to parents. This system is set up using individual emails and/or texts. Please make sure your child’s building secretary has up-to-date information.

  Could a “late start” be implemented? 

  • A “late start” could be implemented if the district experiences an unusually high number of school closure days.  A “late start” school day will be implemented when weather conditions are permissible. School will begin at 10:00 a.m. and dismissed at the normal time. All buses will run two hours later then their normal scheduled time. “Late start” will be announced via the normal means by 6:45 a.m.

How does a school closure effect activities? 

  • In most cases, all activities will be cancelled.  However, consideration concerning after school activities will be made on a case by case basis taking into consideration the safety of our students.  Each building principal is responsible for this decision.

Can parents keep their children home if they have concerns about weather conditions?

  • Yes, parents can and should make decisions based on their child’s safety.