Safety is the priority
In emergency situations, such as snow and icy weather conditions, the top priority is the safety of students and staff. The district also recognizes that snow days often disrupt family schedules and mean the school year may have to be extended. So the decision to close schools is not an easy one. The process is complex and involves many people.
It’s also complicated by the fact that the district covers 76 square miles, including low-lying areas next to Lake Washington as well as higher altitudes at Finn Hill, Education Hill and the Sammamish Plateau. In one part of the district, the roads may be perfectly clear while other areas are struggling with several inches of snow.
Decision-making process
Collecting information
To help make the best possible decision, the district gathers a lot of information first. A meteorologist is on contract to provide pinpoint predictions for the specific microclimates around our area. He helps the district understand what areas may be affected by upcoming weather and what areas may not.
Examining conditions
Predictions are one thing. Actual conditions are another. That’s why the transportation department staff is on the roads around the district at 3 a.m. if it looks like a school closure might be in order. They report real road conditions to the support services department. Custodians may be asked to report to work early at schools so they can report on conditions at the schools themselves.
Analyzing the data
Once all the information is collected, the support services staff forwards it to the district’s administration, based on their best analysis of the situation. There are three options available:
- leave schools open
- start late
- close schools
Late start is used when conditions are borderline. The extra time and daylight make it easier for students to get to school safely.
Determining what’s best for the whole district
For communication and administrative reasons, it is not possible to close just some schools in the district while leaving other schools open. So the decision has to be the best one for the safety of students in all areas of the district while at the same time avoiding unnecessary disruption of learning or family and school schedules.
Superintendent makes final decision
Once the administrative staff gets the information from support services, they make a recommendation to the superintendent, who makes the final decision. If there is a closure or a late start, the staff puts into effect the communication system to get the word out to parents, students and teachers.
As part of that system, a red alert "flag" as seen above will appear on the home page of this Web site by 5:30 a.m. to notify everyone whether school is on a late start schedule, or closed. If you cannot see the flag on the home page, be sure to refresh your page by clicking on the refresh icon on your browser, or selecting "refresh" from the "View" menu on your browser.