Inclement Weather FAQ
What to Know Before the Snow
What will happen in D11 during inclement weather?
Q: What types of inclement weather decisions are there?
A: Depending on weather severity and how many remote learning days have been used during a school year, one of three decisions will be made:
· Full closure—all District 11 schools and offices will be closed and there is no expectation of remote working/learning
· Remote Learning Day (see “What are the expectations of remote learning days?”)
· Two-hour delay—School will start in-person exactly two hours later than normally scheduled. There will be no a.m. preschool and buses will pick up exactly two hours later than normal.
Q: What are the expectations of remote learning days?
A: During remote learning days, all D11 students and staff are expected to login on their device and work/learn remotely. At least 20 percent of the day will consist of synchronous instruction (live remote instruction when students and teachers are online at the same time in order for learning to take place). Students must have access to a live teacher during specified remote learning “office hours.”
Q: How many remote learning days does the Colorado Department of Education allow school districts to use during a school year?
A: CDE will allow Colorado school districts up to five remote learning days per school year that are unrelated to COVID issues. If those five remote learning days are used during a school year, the District will move to either a full closure day, a two-hour delayed start, or a regular in-person school day.
Q: How are the inclement weather decisions made?
A: Sudden weather changes are part of what we expect in Colorado. To help us ensure the safety of our students and staff to the best of our abilities, School District 11 has appointed supervisory personnel to drive sections of the District during a predicted storm. We assign the driving sections because, as we all know, the weather in one part of our city can be completely different than in another part of the city during a storm.
The supervisory personnel report on weather and road conditions, especially noting poor visibility, poor traction and other hazardous street conditions, wind chill factors, and snow accumulation. These on-the-street supervisors report their findings, and the Superintendent is briefed on the conditions. We evaluate the conditions and further driving reviews and conversations may occur.
The employee reports are used in addition to the reports from the U.S. Weather Bureau and the Colorado Springs Street Division, and in coordination with neighboring school districts. After all the data is examined, a decision is made for either a delayed start, a remote learning day, a full school closure, or school as usual. All of this usually begins the night before a storm is predicted to hit and is accomplished by 5:30 a.m. so you may be notified in a timely manner.
Q: May I choose to keep my child home if the decision is made to hold in-person learning?
A: For any weather related decisions, you as a parent/guardian make the final decision concerning the safety of your child. If you think weather conditions are unsafe when the District keeps schools open, you may keep your child at home. Remember to follow the proper absence reporting procedures by calling your child’s school to report the absence, and your child's absence will be excused; all work may be made up without penalty.
Q: How will inclement weather announcements be made?
A: The District uses the D11 Loop email, app push, and text messaging system to send announcements about inclement weather days. If you have not yet opted in to receive text messages and would like to, please visit www.d11.org/loop and follow the instructions. You may also view any of the D11 school or district websites, where an alert will automatically pop up after a decision has been made. The local TV stations (KRDO, KXRM, KOAA, and KKTV) will also report these decisions and a tweet will be shared via the District’s Twitter feed, @CSSD11.