Inclement Weather Procedures

In the event schools are closed for the day USD 453 will:

• Make the decision to close no later than 5:30 a.m. that day.
• Provide notice to the major television stations in the Kansas City area (KSHB 41, Fox 4, KCTV 5, and KMBC 9); post the closing on the district website (www.usd453.org), Facebook and Twitter account, and utilize the autodialer parent notification system to call families with cancellation information.

It is the parent/guardian responsibility to:

• Listen to news broadcasts on questionable weather mornings, or check the District website.
• Decide whether or not to send their child(ren) to school. When the decision is made that schools will be open, a parent/guardian may choose to keep their child(ren) home because weather conditions may be considered marginal. Such absences will be excused, and work missed may be made up without penalty.

In the event that a storm develops, or the weather changes unexpectedly during the day, USD 453 will:

• Remain open; schools will not dismiss early.
• If a parent/guardian feels child(ren) should come home, they may pick them up from school; such absences will be excused and work missed may be made up without penalty.

How Do We Make the Decision to Cancel School?

When bad weather affects the area, we make the decision to open or close schools based on information about road and weather conditions from a variety of sources - our maintenance and transportation staff, city road crews, local law enforcement, the National Weather Service, and local weather coverage.

A number of factors are considered when bad weather is forecasted or experienced:

• Amount and timing of accumulated snow and ice
• Road and local travel conditions throughout the day
• Temperature and wind chill (wind chills below -15ºF during walking and waiting times are given special consideration)
• Impact on bus transportation
• Site conditions (ensuring lots and sidewalks are safe and there is electricity, heat, and water)

If you do not feel that it is safe for your child to get to school, please use your best judgment as to whether or not they should attend. Also, please discourage teenagers from driving in bad conditions and offer them alternatives as weather conditions worsen.

All absences due to weather will be excused and will not count toward any 10 day attendance caps.