Weather Conditions

In District 49, our community expects timely communications, especially during safety concerns, like inclement weather. We love the sun, and we certainly enjoy plenty of it, but we also know to expect a few changes as we settle in for winter, which can disrupt our calendar from time to time. We’ll let you know as early as we can when the weather will create an adjustment to our schedule.

Because each weather-related call is based on current and forecasted conditions, we often publish a final decision early in the morning, rather than the night before. But when a weather forecast is severe enough, we may issue a decision the night before. With winter conditions uncertain and further observations necessary, our crews start evaluating road conditions at midnight. Decisions to close the district are often made by 4:30 a.m.

Watch for our alerts via email, text, online at d49.org and on social media as well as from our media partners. Here are a few other items to keep in mind: 

Parent Notifications: If you are a parent in District 49, you can enable "text/SMS" messages with your school administrative secretary. Ensure your parent account in PowerSchool has your correct, text/SMS capable cell number and that the account is checked "enabled" in PowerSchool. You'll receive our D49 alert messages for closures and emergencies. 

We Make Our Call Early
We know delays and closures are a change to the normal routine for everyone. We work hard to make timely and informed weather decisions (frequently as early as the night before) to give parents and guardians an opportunity to plan for the disruption to their calendar. 

Two-Hour Delay
We cancel morning preschool on two-hour delay days. Everything else (including bus pickups, BASE49 and bell schedules) are pushed back by two hours. Check out your school’s Bell Schedule web page for additional information.

We Don’t Close by Zone
Because we can experience conditions with varying intensity districtwide during inclement weather, and because many of our students and stakeholders travel between zones daily for school and work, for the safety of all travelers, when we close, we fully close. 

Charter Campus Notifications
Our charter schools make their own weather decisions. Often, they’ll align with the D49 decision, but they are not required to do so. We encourage our charter school families to watch for weather communications directly from your school.