Dear School Community,

 

Thank you for your patience during the first winter storm of the school year—it was a chilly, congested morning. Weather forecasts indicate that temperatures will begin to drop at sundown tonight and could reach the low 20s; because many roads and parking lots throughout the District remain wet and slushy with the possibility of turning icy, we have made the decision to cancel all after-school activities. This includes:

 

• Sports events and practices – and Activity buses.
• After-school School Age Care.
• School- and District-level meetings, including the parent FLASH/HIV curriculum preview at the Administration Building.
• Clubs and other activities.

 

Thank you to all parents who called with concerns about road conditions in particular neighborhoods this morning. Transportation crews did drive throughout the District, including through Lakemont and the Sammamish Plateau, beginning at about 3 a.m. Conditions actually worsened as the morning progressed, with temperatures dropping and increased traffic creating slush that re-froze.

 

District officials make the best decision they can based on only one consideration: student safety. The situation is complicated when road and weather conditions change after 5 a.m.—the time when a decision needs to be made in order to notify schools. 

 

Any time a District weather-delay decision is made, please feel free to follow your best judgment in terms of your family’s particular situation; schools are flexible during inclement weather days.

 

TOMORROW

 

District officials will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout the night and morning. Please check the District website, www.issaquah.wednet.edu; your District ENews messages; www.SchoolReport.org (subscribe for instant school emergency notification); and local media for closure/delay information. Officials will also take into account how road conditions developed this morning when making a decision tomorrow.

 

All information about different school-delay scenarios (e.g., “Snow Routes Two Hours Late”) is available in the Emergency Transportation Bulletin. A copy is sent home annually with each student in the fall, and it is available online at www.issaquah.wednet.edu/documents/emrg.pdf.

 

What happens on a Learning Improvement Calendar Wednesday?

 

If a weather-delay occurs on a Wednesday, we will shift all schools’ Wednesday start times by the one- or two-hour delay period. Afternoon dismissal times will not change.

 

If school is one hour late on Wednesday, middle and high schools WILL serve school lunch. If school is two hours late on Wednesday, middle and high schools will NOT serve school lunch.

 

Whether or not school is one or two hours late on Wednesday, elementary schools WILL serve school lunch.

 

Thank you, and stay warm!