How does school get canceled due to weather?
Parents may be interested in knowing how school closure decisions get made when inclement weather sweeps across our area. The number one priority in every closure decision is the safety of our students and what is in the best interest of all students. When schools close, we lose valuable learning time with your child(ren), and many families have concerns or complications surrounding childcare. Furthermore, there may be times when parents feel differently about whether school should be open or closed based on the weather. Should this happen, the District encourages parents to make decisions that they believe are best for their child’s health and safety.
Decisions to close school are not taken lightly, and a great deal of thought and communication is involved in the process. Following are some details about what is involved in the weather-related school closure process and how a final decision is made.
As the Superintendent of Schools, I monitor weather conditions relative to snow/ice precipitation and gather input and feedback from all appropriate sources, including meteorologists, transportation providers, area highway personnel and/or law enforcement agencies that have personnel out driving on our roadways. Additionally, in extremely cold temperatures and/or wind chills, a decision to close generally comes into play when temperatures will remain around 35 degrees below zero or lower. The National Weather Service issues an Extreme Cold Warning when dangerously cold air temperatures or wind chill values are expected or occurring.
I will make every attempt to make a school closure decision as early as possible, and in no case later than 6:30 a.m. when school is to be in session. When feasible, decisions are made in the evening prior to the school day so that parents can make the appropriate arrangements necessary for childcare, if needed. Unfortunately, this early decision is not always possible, given Wisconsin's unique weather patterns.
You can find out about school closure decisions in a variety of ways:
- Through email, text, and/or phone alerts generated by our ParentSquare notification system – it would be helpful for you to check the
settings in your Skyward “Family Access” account to be sure your email address and phone number are accurate
- By liking the District's Facebook and Instagram pages, you will see inclement weather-related posts from WRPS come up in your
newsfeed (facebook and instagram)
- By going to our WRPS webpage – weather closure alerts get posted at the top of the main District page once a decision has
been made
- By listening to local radio and television news stations
Note that when school is canceled, all other activities scheduled in school buildings for that day will likely also be canceled. As outlined in Board policy, certain dates may be designated as Remote Learning Days—your school will communicate more about expectations for students on these dates when they occur.
Once school begins for the day, schools generally will not dismiss early unless absolutely necessary in order to avoid complications with transportation and childcare arrangements. Again, the safety of our students is always at the forefront of the decision-making process.
A decision to close during the school day will occur by 10:00 a.m., and lunches will be served to students in grades KG-12 before dismissal. Middle school students will be dismissed first at 12:00 p.m., followed by Lincoln High students at 12:20 p.m.; and the elementary students will be dismissed last at 1:00 p.m. Afternoon sessions for our 4K and River Cities High School programs are automatically canceled if we close early. Communication to parents about an early release is similar – via ParentSquare, our District webpage and social media pages, and various local media outlets.
School closure decisions are not always popular, and I appreciate that parents may have different opinions about whether or not school should be canceled. Again, we always leave the final decision to parents about keeping their child(ren) home if they feel this is best for their circumstances.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and support when school closure decisions become necessary on inclement weather days. The decisions are not always easy, but they are made with the best interest of all students in mind.
If you have questions concerning this information, please contact me at 715-424-6701 or by email.
Ronald A. Rasmussen
Superintendent
