The decision to close school due to weather affects thousands of people and is never made lightly. The safety of students, staff and parents is always our top priority.
A variety of circumstances may require district officials to close school, delay opening or call for an early dismissal. Families should prepare for the possibility of unexpected closings by keeping information in Infinite Campus up to date and having a plan they go over with children to ensure they have a safe place to be if school is called off.
Decision-Making Process
Forecasts are typically evaluated early in the morning utilizing the most recent information from the National Weather Service. There may also be times when a forecast is severe enough to warrant a final decision the day before, as this provides families with additional time to plan. Discussions with other area school districts, the bus company, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department and Department of Public Works may also take place.
When school is canceled due to weather, Hamilton Fine Arts Center events are typically canceled. For the latest information on HFAC events, please reference the HFAC homepage.
National Weather Service
Although there is no hard and fast rule for closing, we use National Weather Service standards to guide our decision-making. These specific alerts do not result in an automatic decision to close, but instead trigger an analysis of conditions. Please note that factors like timing and anticipated duration of the storm are also taken into account.
Storm Standards
Extreme Cold Warning: a wind chill or temperature of 30 degrees below zero
Winter Storm Warning: 6” in 12 hours, 8” in 24 hours, freezing rain, sleet or blowing snow
Blizzard Warning: sustained winds or gusts that occur in combination with a considerable amount of falling or blowing snow for a period of at least 3 hours
Ice Storm Warning: freezing rain that leaves a quarter inch coating of ice in 12 hours
Communication
A decision to close school must be made prior to 5:00 a.m. This provides adequate time to notify staff, families, Dairyland Bus Company and media outlets before morning travel begins. Decisions to close are communicated to families via a messaging system and can arrive in the form of text, phone call and/or email. Families designate these preferences in Infinite Campus.
Early Dismissal/Late Start
Logistics surrounding early dismissals and late starts are very difficult. Both require bus drivers to report to work at different times than a normal workday. This is problematic, as many drivers have other part-time jobs. In addition, these situations are often tough for families who need to make childcare arrangements for young students.