Emergency Closings and Winter Weather

Safe Students = Informed Parents

Minnesota weather is sometimes difficult to predict. That is why it is essential to anticipate and prepare for school closings, delayed openings, and early dismissals. Our local public and parochial schools follow a coordinated plan to better ensure the safety of our children. The three superintendents will try to announce school closings or late starts the night before severe weather. When a morning emergency closing or a late start is required, every effort will be made to reach a decision prior to 5:30 a.m.

Winter Weather Plan

The purpose of the weather-related closing plan is to assist parent/guardians and students to be better prepared to deal with emergency situations and to reduce their effects. Parents are encouraged to prepare for emergency closings. Special child care arrangements should be made which could be used in the event of a late start, early release, or a school closing. Ultimately, the parent/guardian should make the final decision whether a child should attend school during severe weather.

VIEW THE WINTER WEATHER PLAN

Extreme Temperatures

As the weather turns colder, we often receive phone calls and emails with questions from staff, families, and the media regarding possible school closings due to extreme cold. Student safety is always at the forefront of our decision-making. School closing decisions are rarely easy, and require much communication between district, transportation, and city/county officials, along with weather experts.

In school districts throughout Minnesota, decisions are based on information provided by many sources, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (N.O.A.A.). The N.O.A.A. provides a Wind Chill Chart at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/windchill.shtml. The chart details the combination of wind speed and temperature to determine the amount of time it could take to potentially suffer from frostbite. When the combination of temperature and wind speed fall into the 5 Minute Threshold, school districts typically delay or close schools.

We monitor the weather closely, but we do not usually make final decisions about delaying and/or closing school until morning. We always attempt to make the decisions as early as possible. For this reason, when deciding school closings due to weather, we may wait to obtain the most current weather information to make the best decision.

Fortunately, our Skylert System is a great communication tool for families and allows us to communicate important information as soon as a decision is made. You can also receive updates via our website and social media.

Various winter weather statements, watches, and warnings are issued by the National Weather Service. School officials use these statements as indications that weather conditions may cause the cancellation or early dismissal of school. Heavy snowfall, ice storms, extreme cold, and strong winds are not the only contributors to an emergency situation. Fog can be equally dangerous. While sun may be shining in one area, visibility may be reduced to a few feet in another location, creating a potential hazard.

In any weather emergency, the main objective is to provide protection and a safe environment for students. Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell- St. Stephen, and the St. Cloud Area School District use a coordinated, weather-related emergency closing plan. Radio stations and news services will be contacted on behalf of each district, but area residents should recognize that the three school districts are working together on these decisions.