During bad weather (or concerns about bad weather), a school closure or a delayed start may be announced. District staff will contact local television and radio stations to advise the community of any delays or closures. A notice is also placed on FlashNews Network, a free internet service that will immediately provide all subscribers of any change of status in their district. Parents and staff are encouraged to sign up for this free service at www.flashalert.net .

In considering a closure or delay, the District follows a process to ensure the safety of students and staff.

1. Leading into the potential weather concern the Superintendent, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Transportation will monitor weather forecasts from local news, National Weather Service, and other sources available.

2. If a determination is not made by late evening, the Director of Transportation and staff will continue to monitor the weather conditions, communicate with neighboring districts, contact both city and county about road conditions, drive various roads within the district, and review weather forecasts.

3. By 4:00am the Director of Transportation and the Chief Operating Officer will discuss the current conditions and what neighboring districts are considering. At approximately 4:30am a recommendation will be made for the Superintendent. If conditions are still in question and it is not yet possible to make a decision, the recommendation could come after 4:30am.

4. Once the Superintendent either accepts or adjusts the recommendation for delay or closure the Chief Operating Officer will communicate to the media, community and staff through Flash News. As well, the Superintendent will begin the internal phone tree.

5. In the event of delay or closure, morning preschool and kindergarten classes will be cancelled. Morning delays will allow afternoon preschool and kindergarten classes to maintain their regular schedule. Additionally, work studies, Jr. ROTC, and PPCC students will remain at their home school.

Potential Reasons for Delay or Closure

The most important factors in making a determination include: road conditions (ice, snow pack, plowed, sanded, side streets), wind and blowing snow, wind chill, and visibility. Consideration is also given to the region’s weather conditions from feedback of staff traveling into work. Due to the variability of these conditions there is not an exact formula to utilize. The parameters agreed upon by Pikes Peak region school districts for wind chill is -17 degrees. Because the first school start time is at 7:00am an initial decision for delay must be made by 4:30am to allow time to communicate with district bus drivers who have routes starting between 5:00- 5:30am. The second decision for closure is based on potential conditions by 6:30am for routes that begin at 7am.

After Delay or Closure

• The district runs attendance data for the day for each school site for year-to-date and for the day for comparison.
• The Director of Transportation receives feedback from bus drivers on road conditions.
• The Director of Transportation identifies the number of bus routes which ran late vs. on-time.
• A debrief meeting is held with the Director of Transportation, Chief Operating Officer and Superintendent.