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Weather Alerts

Inclement Weather Procedures

When our school district has a schedule change (closing or delay) due to inclement weather or other emergencies, the information is communicated as soon as the decision is made in these ways: 

  • Posted to our Website;
  • Sent via text message through our schoolNEWS Alert System;
  • Social media - Follow @usd_232 on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook @usd232official;
  • Local television stations (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC); and
  • Email message to families via Skyward Family Access.

The school district is aware of the implications of opening school during less than perfect conditions and of delaying or closing schools when poor weather conditions exist or are predicted. We operate within an area covering nearly 100 square miles of Johnson County. The safety of our students, staff, and parents remains our primary consideration.

Because the district encompasses nearly 100 square miles of the county, the weather can vary significantly, as can road conditions, in different parts of the county. Major roadways may be in good driving condition, but neighborhood and rural roads may remain treacherous. 

District students typically travel to school in five ways. Some ride on school buses, some walk to schools or bus stops, some are driven by their parents, some drive themselves, and some are driven by other students. When the school system considers the impact of weather conditions on the ability to open schools, it considers all these methods of transportation.

Some staff members and bus drivers leave home as early as 5:00 a.m. Many working parents need time to make last-minute arrangements for childcare. Accordingly, the school system makes every effort to make decisions regarding inclement weather closings or delays prior to 6:00 a.m. Once a decision is made by the Superintendent, it takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete notifying local media, updating the website, and sending text messages.

If the school system is lucky, weather events occur in ways and times that make it easy to decide to open, delay, or close. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. It is amazing how often snow, sleet, or freezing rain does not start until between 5 and 8 a.m.  This sometimes results in schools opening when the conditions are worse than anticipated and closing on days when the weather ends up being not as bad as forecasted. On some days, our residents experience better conditions in some areas of the county and very dangerous conditions in other parts of the county.

The school district takes into consideration a number of factors during inclement weather. We consider parking lot and sidewalk conditions, temperature and wind chill, amount of snow and/or ice, current and future weather forecasts, as well as city and county road conditions.

The district understands no perfect decision exists. While the process we use is comprehensive, weather conditions across the district can vary. On inclement weather days when school is open, parents have the option of keeping their children at home due to localized weather conditions. In this case, please contact your school's office and your child's absence will be recorded as an excused absence.

Two-hour Delayed Start

In the event of a two-hour delayed start, all school start times will be delayed by two hours. All morning bus pick-up times will also be delayed by two hours. Schools will end their day at the regular time and after-school bus routes will operate on their normal schedule.

  • All start times are delayed by two hours.
    • High schools will start at 9:50 a.m.
    • Middle Schools begin at 9:55 a.m.
      • Exception: Mill Creek Middle School begins at 9:50 a.m.
    • Elementary schools start at 10:45 a.m.
    • Cedar Trails Exploration Center (CTEC)
      • No AM Early Childhood classes. PM classes follow normal schedule.
      • CTEC CAPS for high school students will run on revised schedule for both AM and PM sessions.
    • EDTECH (Eudora-De Soto Technical Education Center)
      • No AM EDTECH for USD 232 high school students. PM session will follow normal schedule.
Transportation
  • All K-12 routes run two hours later.
  • No bussing for AM Early Childhood.
  • All field trips and activity trips leaving before noon are canceled.
  • CTEC CAPS shuttle for students will operate on a revised schedule.
  • After-school bus routes operate on normal schedule.
Before the School Day
  • Breakfast will not be served on delayed start days. Lunch will be served as close to the normal time as possible.
  • No athletic practices or activities before school. Practices and games may be held after school depending on weather.
  • JCRPD Before School Care will be cancelled; JCPRD will operate as normal at the end of the day.
  • Any before school activities will be canceled.
School Day – Schedule
  • Classes will occur on the typical daily schedule with shorter instructional times per class.
  • School ends at the regular time.
  • Students enrolled in Johnson County Community College (JCCC) follow JCCC’s inclement weather decisions.
  • All students in out-of-district programs (Lake Mary, etc.) go two hours later.