INCLEMENT WEATHER

How Decisions are Made


As a proud IPS Innovation School we strive to follow district decisions for delays and closures related to weather. At times, these decisions differ due to our start time being earlier than most. The typical procedure for determining weather related school closures begins at 4:45am with a final decision coming between 5 and 5:30am. It is also possible that the severity of the weather or the forecast could lead to an earlier decision about a weather-related closure.


You can find out if we're delayed by:


  • Visiting our website
  • Watching for "Emma Donnan Elementary & Middle School" on local news outlets
  • Text and calls from our Leadership Team
  • Checking our social media channels


Responses to Weather:

  • 2-Hour Delay: The day begins at 9:10AM
  • Remote Learning Day: We have shifted to Remote Learning Day and campus is closed. This is our preferred option as it keeps scholars learning.
  • No School: In the event of a weather situation being unexpected, we will shift to "no school" which means there will not be any Remote Learning.


Overall, we aim to make a call as far in advance as we can so that families can prepare.

  • General Protocol For Snow

    When snow rolls in overnight or in the early morning hours, Adelante Schools follows developments closely. Many factors play into making critical and timely decisions, including:

    • Amount and type of precipitation
    • Temperature/wind chill
    • Visibility
    • Status of clearing roads and sidewalks
    • Refreeze of melted snow/ice from the previous day
    • Continued snow in the forecast

  • General Protocol for Extreme Cold & Wind

    When dealing with the extreme cold, the process is a little different. There is no magic number for school delays/cancellations when it comes to air temperatures and/or wind chills because there are so many variables to consider.


    We closely monitor the National Weather Service and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for regular weather updates and forecasts.


    For Extremely Cold Temperatures:

    • Air temperatures that are forecasted significantly below 0 degrees for 7 a.m. (when our first wave of students is headed to the bus stops) could trigger a two-hour delay.
    • If those temperatures aren’t forecasted to improve by 9 a.m. (when a two-hour delay would end), then schools could be canceled.

    For Extreme Wind Chill:

    • Wind chill prediction is more of a moving target than air temperatures because of varying wind speeds from place to place.
    • As a general guideline, Adelante Schools uses the NOAA wind chill chart.
    • When wind chills approach the 10 minutes to frostbite range, we consider that the danger zone.
    • We look at the locally forecasted wind chills for our district, and if they’re predicted to fall near the danger zone by 7 a.m., we would consider a two-hour delay.
    • If wind chills aren’t expected to improve by 9 a.m. (when a two-hour delay would end), we would consider a cancellation.