Weather Information

Generally, you can expect that school will be held, even in extreme weather conditions. If you believe the weather is too hazardous for your child to attend on a day that school is being held, you may keep your child home. Please call your school’s absence line to report the absence, which will be excused.

Possible Learning and Activity Schedule Adjustments

Full day schedule changes

District administrators consider the combined effects of snow, ice, and wind chill when determining if school will be held in person. If the National Weather Service predicts the wind chill to remain at or drop below -35ºF (below zero), school may be cancelled. We attempt to make the decision by 5:30 a.m. after surveying conditions, monitoring weather reports, and consulting with transportation vendors.

Early release/dismissal

Early releases are very unlikely, due to the complexity of student transportation. However, if a storm worsens during the day, the superintendent may decide to close school early. Staff would attempt to make such a decision by 11 a.m.

Mid-day dismissal: Lunch may be served and schools will be released in normal order, so older siblings are home first to await younger brothers/sisters.
Tornado warning or other severe weather: Buses will not be loaded and students will remain at school.

Programs, activities, events

When schools move to eLearning, all after-school and evening activities and programs are generally cancelled, as well, including extra-curricular activities and community education programs (youth/adult classes; preschool and Kidstop programs; adult basic education; early childhood). Privately sponsored activities scheduled through the school district’s facilities reservation department are also cancelled. The Kidstop Family Handbook describes pick-up procedures related to early dismissals.

eLearning Days

Communications

Every effort will be made to share learning schedule changes as soon as possible. Winter weather alerts can be received in a number of ways:

Phone, text and email messages from district notification system
District and school websites
District social media pages (Facebook, X and Instagram)
An audio recording via 763-391-7000
Media outlets, including WCCO, KSTP, Fox 9, and Kare 11

After an initial weather alert for eLearning, teachers will share their student expectations within two hours after the start of the regular school day (e.g., 7:30 a.m. regular start time would mean a message from your teacher(s) by 9:30 a.m.).

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities

School emergency plan for your family: Make sure your children know what to do if the school learning schedule changes. Do they know how to get into your home safely if school closes early?

Student emergency contact information at school: Students will be released only to parents, guardians and authorized individuals listed on the student emergency cards kept at school. Please keep this information current.

Weather-appropriate clothing: Please send your child to school dressed appropriately for the weather, e.g. warm coat, mittens, hat, and/or boots. Your child will be expected to go outdoors when outdoor recess is held. The school principal will determine whether to hold outdoor recess when the weather is questionable. Indoor recess will occur when temperatures of feeling like -5 degrees occur.

How are Weather-Related Decisions Made?

The district weather team participates in National Weather Service conference calls and reviews forecast service packets, typically multiple times ahead of and during weather events.
The transportation director talks with bus companies (five vendors) on bus equipment status, driver call-ins and road conditions that they're expecting or experiencing.
The transportation team connects with the cities that the district resides in on their road plowing schedules and any concerns they may have weather-wise.
The transportation and operations teams work to verify district parking lots and sidewalks will be adequately addressed and remedied ahead of and during a weather event. The district also works with the cities that the district resides in to maintain sidewalks and pathways.
The transportation director and/or representatives drive the school district to visually see and experience road and parking lot conditions typically between 3:30 and 5 a.m.
The transportation director participates in a metro wide collaborative that provides updates on what other metro districts are seeing and considering regarding opening/running schools.
The superintendent connects with other metro districts for input and feedback.
The district weather team is convened at 4:30 a.m. to determine any needed decisions in regard to running school, moving to e-Learning and/or scheduling an early dismissal. Note: two-hour late starts are not possible with the complex transportation system.
After school and evening activities are also reviewed either at 4:30 a.m. when a school day decision is made, or at 10 a.m.