When Extreme Weather Hits

At the possibility of any inclement weather, district personnel watch the weather forecasts throughout the night and early morning. The Superintendent’s office stays in contact with a number of school personnel, city entities, and local law enforcement to make the best decision possible.

Temperatures, wind chills, amounts of snow, and visibility are all considered when determining whether or not to have school. The decision to start school late or cancel classes before the start of a school day will be made, when all possible, before 6 a.m. There are often two different weather-related decisions to make: One involves heavy snowfall, while the other, wind and frigid temperatures.

Inclement WeatherSnow: In response to snow-related issues, the determining factor is the ability for city and county workers to plow and clear roads. Because roads are plowed throughout the night and early morning hours, this decision will most commonly be made in the early hours based on conditions at the time and the forecast for the hours when students and staff will be getting to school. The Superintendent will be in contact with the Director of Buildings and Grounds, other school officials, the city and STA staff to determine whether the road conditions are safe. The Superintendent and other officials will also check the weather forecast. We are mindful of the rural areas our district covers, as well as traffic in the main part of the city.

Cold: For cold and frigid temperatures, we try our best to make a decision the evening before. If the National Weather Service forecast for 6 a.m. calls for air temperatures of 25 degrees below zero or colder, or if the forecast wind chill is minus 40 or worse, classes and activities will be canceled. If this threshold is not met, we will to continue to monitor conditions and make any needed decisions into the next morning.

Now, we have the added benefit of the “SafeStop” app – showing our parents and students the GPS location of their school bus. This availability will help with knowing the location of the bus and when students should be sent to the bus stop; this availability will certainly play a factor in decisions related to cold weather. Instructions for downloading this app can be found at info.safestopapp.com/johnstonia.

Delays, Early Outs, and Cancellations

In the event the school day is altered due to inclement weather or another unplanned event, the district makes every attempt to provide timely information to families and staff.  Once a decision is made, all students, families and staff will receive an email, text message and phone call with an Urgent Alert using the ParentSquare communications platform. This provides instant language translation to the family’s preferred language.

A notification will also be sent via the mobile app, posted on social media and the district website. School closing information will also be available via any of the local television stations – Channels 5, 8, and 13, the Des Moines Register website. This message will be sent as soon as possible following a decision.

Here are guidelines for typical school day alterations:

Two-hour late start: The school day will start two hours later than it normally would. Elementary schools will begin class at 10:40 a.m. and secondary schools will begin class at 9:45 a.m. Buses will pick up students an average of two hours later than they normally would in the morning.

Two-hour early out: School will dismiss two hours earlier than normal. Elementary schools dismiss at 1:35 p.m.; secondary schools at 12:50 p.m. Buses will pick students up from school and get them home safely, approximately two hours earlier than normal. KTC and SAS will abide by their own procedures for the availability of the after-school program on early dismissal days.

Entire school day cancellation: If school is cancelled for the entire day, all school buildings will be closed. The District Office will be open, unless the weather is extremely bad. Activity and athletic practices will operate on a case-by-case basis, as determined by coaches. Community Education will also operate by their own procedures regarding the availability of KTC, SAS, and classes.

Kids Connection (KTC) child care

  • Late Start: KTC will match the school delay. If the start of the school day is delayed by 2 hours, the start of the KTC day will also be delayed by 2 hours at each school childcare location and continue care until school begins. KTC will open from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
  • Early Out: If school dismisses early, KTC begins at time of dismissal. Parents are asked to pick up their child(ren) as soon as possible so that they, and the staff, may travel home safely. KTC will close 2 hours after the early dismissal time. KTC may alter the pick-up time based on weather conditions. If your child(ren) is not picked up by the designated pick-up time the late pick-up fee will apply. 
  • School Cancellation: If school is closed due to inclement weather, dangerous travel conditions, or other emergency situations, KTC will be closed as well. In a situation where school is closed but it remains safe for students and staff to travel to and remain at KTC sites (example: cold temperatures), KTC may remain open. 

Preschool

  • Late Start: If the Johnston Community School District delays classes, Johnston Early Learning Academy (JELA) morning preschool classes will be cancelled. Afternoon preschool classes will begin at the regular time. 
  • Early Out: If school is dismissed early and afternoon preschool has not yet started, afternoon preschool will be cancelled. Notification of school early dismissal will be sent to parents via Parent Square. If preschool is in session when the cancellation decision is made, parents are to pick up their child at the time that the K-5 early dismissal takes place. 

Developmental Kindergarten

  • Late Start: If the Johnston Community School District delays classes by one hour, Developmental Kindergarten will begin at the same time that the elementary schools begin. If the Johnston Community School District delays classes by two hours, morning Developmental Kindergarten will be cancelled. Afternoon DK classes will begin at the regular time. If a decision to let out school early is made before afternoon developmental kindergarten starts, they will not have class. Otherwise, they will dismiss the same time as other schools.
  • Early Out: If school is dismissed early and afternoon DK has not yet started, afternoon DK will be cancelled. Notification of school early dismissal will be sent to parents via Parent Square. If afternoon DK is in session when the cancellation is made, they will dismiss at the same time that the K-5 early dismissal takes place. 

Johnston Therapeutic School

  • Late Start: JTP will follow the time delay from their normal start (i.e. a two hour delay would result in a start time at 11:00 am since the program normally begins at 9:00). 
  • Early Out: If school is dismissed early, the Superintendent will communicate with STA on bussing availability and will dismiss based on availability of transportation. The Superintendent will make the final decision about dismissal time. 

Alternative High School

  • Late Start: Alternative High School will follow the time delay from their normal start (i.e. a two hour delay would result in a start time at 11:00 am since the program normally begins at 9:00). 
  • Early Out: If school is dismissed early, the Superintendent will communicate with STA on bussing availability and will dismiss based on availability of transportation. The Superintendent will make the final decision about dismissal time. 

Drop-In School

  • Late Start: If the Johnston Community School District delays classes, Drop-in School morning classes will be cancelled. Afternoon classes will begin at the regular time. 
  • Early Out: If school is dismissed early, the Superintendent will communicate with STA on bussing availability and will dismiss based on availability of transportation. The Superintendent will make the final decision about dismissal time. 

Recess

During winter months, the local weather report service report is used to determine if children will participate in outdoor recess. If the wind chill index is 5 degrees Fahrenheit or below, recess will be held indoors. Appropriate clothing for winter weather conditions is a must.

School Activities and Athletics

The decision to hold practices will be made on a case-by-case basis.

If school is canceled and weather and road conditions improve during the day, a decision will be made by the Activities/Athletic Director in consultation with the Superintendent or Designee whether to hold varsity practices. If varsity practices are held, the practices will be shortened and they will end by 5 p.m. If parents do not wish to have their child attend practice, these practices will be optional and any absence will be approved without consequences or penalties. 

If school is dismissed early and/or evening activities are cancelled, there will not be any practices allowed or scheduled for that afternoon or evening. 

Community Education Programs

Preschool, Kids Connection and other Community Education programs have varying ways of handling late starts, early dismissals, and no school days due to weather. Preschool teachers and KTC staff will provide information to parents of children enrolled in those programs about how those changes are handled.

  • When the Superintendent decides to dismiss school early or cancel the entire day due to weather, then all Community Education classes/activities (adult and youth) will be cancelled for the day. 
  • Buildings will be closed if school is closed for weather related reasons. Any rentals (including gym use) scheduled for a day when school is dismissed early or not held will also be cancelled. (Only exception might be a larger special event rental and that would be decided between facility coordinator/building & grounds/renter.) 
  • Outside of the school day (weekends, school breaks and/or evenings), activities will be determined by the CE Program Coordinator or Director in consultation with the Building and Grounds Director. A weather hotline is available at 252-8488 for cancellation announcements for CE. You may also contact the CE office at 278-0552 for additional information.

Aside from all these steps and precautions, ultimately it is parents that have the best information regarding the road conditions at their home, and the final choice to send a child to school during inclement weather.

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