The decisions made by the Wisconsin Heights School District to close, delay or release students early from school are made with the safety of students and staff as a high priority. We are very conscious of the impact school closings have on students, families, and schools. We appreciate parents’ understanding in our efforts to get all students to and from school safely.

Below are factors the school district considers in determining whether to close, delay, or release students early from school:

• Information is gathered on road conditions from First Student Bus Company, local road crews, and weather forecast services to determine the level of safety. We must give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in our district. Even if your street looks clear, travel elsewhere in the district may be dangerous.

• The amount of snow and or ice accumulated.

• Whether the conditions are expected to worsen or improve.

• Building conditions, such as whether the buildings have electricity, heat, and water.

• Parking lot and sidewalk conditions; we keep in constant contact with our maintenance and custodial staff.

• Temperature, extreme cold alerts from the National Weather Service and wind chill. We do not publish a specific temperature or wind chill at which schools will be closed as different sources can report different air temperatures. In most cases, schools can remain open even when air temperatures fall below zero. Adjustments are made at each building site with respect to recess being held outdoors and for what length of time-based on wind chill concerns.

The decision to close school is the responsibility of the District Administrator or his designee. We make every effort to make a decision by 6:00 a.m. If a decision is made to keep schools open, we will try to avoid an early dismissal. However, if weather conditions worsen once students are in school and early dismissal is necessary, a decision is generally made by midday. Please pay close attention to the district’s website, district email communications, district Facebook page and local television stations for updates. It is important to have an emergency backup plan in place in the event of an unexpected dismissal.

Notifications of closings can be found at:

• Wisconsin Heights School District website: Wisconsin Heights School District (A red alert bar will appear at the top of the District website homepage)

• Wisconsin Heights School District email system (please make sure your student’s school has your current email information)

• District Facebook page

• District Twitter page

• Local television stations: Channel 3000, WKOW 27, NBC15

Please know that regardless of the decisions made by the school district, parents have the right to decide to keep their student(s) home when they feel road conditions in their neighborhood make it too risky to travel to school.

We hope this explanation helps everyone understand the process that the Wisconsin Heights School District uses to make the best possible decision for everyone involved.