Weather Procedures

There are different options the district may take during inclement weather.

Cancellation

• All buildings are closed including before and after school programming and tutoring (such as Latchkey and Pr1meTime). Students and staff do not report. Only weather-essential staff report on site.  
• Facility rentals from outside organizations are canceled. 
• District activities and events may be canceled on a case-by-case basis. 

Delay

• Pushing back the start of school to allow for temperatures to rise allows for the city, county and school district to treat sidewalks and remove snow or ice accumulations.
• A delay can become a cancellation if weather conditions worsen or do not improve. 

Early Release

• Rare instances where weather conditions worsen during the school day that may require school closing early.

Storms During School Hours

If a weather warning is issued after students and staff are at school, all of our buildings are equipped with storm shelters. If a tornado warning or a warning that requires sheltering in place is issued during school hours, students and staff will evacuate to the shelter area. Parents will not be able to check out their student(s) during this time as the building will be locked down with all staff and students in a secure location. As soon as the weather warning is lifted, students will be released, district transportation will resume and parents will be able to pick up their students. Depending on timing, this could impact the end of the day release time. 

Early Release

The district makes every attempt to provide as much notice as possible for a delay, early release or cancellation. Early release is a rare occurrence. Many factors are taken into consideration such as the impact to families including child care arrangements/supervision and student transportation to get home. 

Transportation 

If a storm suddenly intensifies while students are en route on buses, drivers will seek safety. Drivers are instructed by the district transportation department, which will be monitoring for weather warnings. Individual busses or the entire fleet may be ordered to seek shelter, if needed, or find alternative routes.  

Derby Public Schools will make determinations before 6AM and notify families via the following outlets:

Social Media

• Facebook @DerbyPublicSchools
• X (formerly Twitter) @DerbySchoolsKS and @derbysupt

Skylert

• District notification system

Website

• Derby Public Schools

Local TV, Radio & Media

The following are weather conditions the district considers in determining school delays, cancellations or early releases during inclement weather.

Precipitation

This comes in the form of snow, ice, ice pellets, freezing rain or wintry mix. In all of these events, consideration is given to many factors including ground temperature, existing accumulations and bonded ice.

Temperature/Chill Factor

We work with the Sedgwick County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service to stay informed. No specific minimum temperature or wind chill has been established as grounds for canceling school. Sub-zero wind chill factors occur almost every year and we find that this value demands much more consideration. While the threshold for wind chill factors is not defined by a number due to so many other variables. 

Wind

Wind direction and velocity are part of every decision. Wind compounds winter weather situations by intensifying wind chill factors and reducing visibility when accompanied by snow. 

Visibility 

Restrictions such as ice fog or blowing snow conditions are visibility factors taken into consideration. 

Forecast

Forecast predictions are also considered but are not generally the sole factor when making decisions on school closings. 

Snow Removal & Building Access

Consideration is given to the availability of snow/ice removal crews. We access the ability of clearing sidewalks, conditions of roads and parking lots in the time available. 

Mechanical Systems

Consideration is given to the operational status of boilers and other gas-fired heating systems to ensure that we have warm buildings. On extremely cold days, plumbing systems are also checked to ensure no pipes are frozen which could have a significant impact on daily operations. 

Bus Conditions

Wintry weather can significantly delay the departure of buses due to the time required to clear snow and ice from the bus's critical areas such as the windshield, doors and lights. Depending on the temperature and chill factor, consideration is also given to our ability to start enough buses to cover all routes.

Bus Driver Availability 

Some of our bus drivers do not live in Derby. Therefore, consideration is given to their ability to get to work and the time it will take them to make the trip.

Neighboring Districts

We also spend time communicating with our neighboring districts to ensure we all have the same information.