How are weather delays, cancellations, and early dismissals determined?
The Superintendent’s Office works with the Transportation Department to determine the safety of transportation. WDMCS may also consult with weather forecasting sources, city public works departments, and neighboring school districts. WDMCS may decide to:
- delay the beginning of the school day by one hour,
- delay the beginning of the school day by two hours,
- transition for that day to online learning for ALL students,
- cancel school, or
- dismiss school two hours early.
A decision to delay, transition online, or close is normally made by 5:45 a.m. A decision to close AFTER a decision had already been made to transition online or delay is normally made by 7 a.m. A decision to dismiss early is normally made by 11 a.m.
Once a decision is made, it is communicated through the district weather hotline, the district website and social media, and several media outlets. See the sidebar for a full list of places to find information. If conditions change enough to warrant a change from a delay to a cancellation, a secondary message is sent to families as soon as possible.
