School Closings, Delays and Early Dismissals
During inclement weather, the State College Area School District considers operating on a normal schedule, delaying, or closure based on student safety. The primary question guiding every decision is: are conditions safe for students and employees to travel?
At times, delay or closure decisions are made the morning of forecasted inclement weather, but sometimes they are made the night before. Deciding in the morning allows district administrators to review the most accurate information possible to make these difficult decisions.
Situation Review
With impending inclement weather, the superintendent, transportation director, and other administrators begin monitoring conditions. Depending on the situation, this can be the day before or around 4 a.m. the day of the event. Information is gathered from:
- National Weather Service
- Weather websites
- Local police via the county 911 communications center for real-time road conditions
- District transportation, maintenance, and grounds staff who are in the field assessing conditions
- Local school district superintendents have a call to discuss options, plans, and various weather conditions
Decision Process
Either the day before or around 4:45 a.m. the day of, the team reviews all available information. While the final decision is in the hands of the superintendent, factors considered include:
- Road conditions
- Type, timing, and intensity of precipitation
- Actual temperature and wind chill
- Weather variation across the district’s 150 square miles
- Student exposure: including 850 walkers and waits at bus stops
- School bus and van operation viability
- The safety of student drivers, including new and inexperienced winter drivers
- Forecasted conditions later in the day, including dismissal time
- Capacity for our crews to salt, clear ground, and parking lots
- Lost learning time
- Timing of notification and disruption to families
Coordination and Communication
If a delay or closure is needed, families and employees are notified as soon as a decision is made. Either the night before or about 5:15 a.m. the day of, but sometimes conditions make the call later. It’s important that the notification goes out as soon as possible so that our transportation drivers, facility and grounds crews, as well as food service workers, have as much time as possible to plan for the day. The community is then notified through phone, email, text alerts, social media posts, district websites, and through local TV and radio.
Members of the community who would like to receive emergency communications such as weather delays or early dismissals can sign up to be notified. Employees and district families are automatically enrolled, so there is no need to sign up again.
Secondary Students
When weather conditions cause a school delay or closure, 9-12th grade students will be automatically notified by the district through an email and StudentSquare push notification at approximately 5:15 a.m., or as soon as a decision is made.
Because we don’t have students' phone numbers, we only have the ability to email and send a notification to the App. While the email is automatic, you must download the StudentSquare App and allow notification to be pinged.
Download the StudentSquare App
After downloading the App, login and register using your SCASD email address and password. Then, enable notifications.
Extreme Cold
In the case of extreme cold, we especially consider our youngest and most vulnerable students, some of whom are only five years old. These students and others may have to walk to school or stand outside waiting for buses. We have eight elementary schools, and districtwide, approximately 850 students walk to school in addition to the students who have to wait outside at bus stops.
The considerations below are things we take into account when making cold weather delay or cancellation decisions. No one point is the determining factor; they are all part of the process.
Considerations
- Actual temperature is less than zero degrees Fahrenheit
- Wind chill/feels like temperature
- 150 square miles in the district leads to varied temperatures
- 850 walking students
- Elementary/younger students
- School bus operation viability
- Timing of notification and disruption to families
- Lost learning time
Delay Options
Normal bus arrival times are pushed ahead by the respective delay.
1-hour delay schedule (Breakfast K-12)
- Elementary begins at 9:10 a.m.
- Secondary begins at 9:40 a.m.
2-hour delay schedule (Breakfast 6-12*)
- Elementary begins at 10:10 a.m.
- Secondary begins at 10:40 a.m.
3-hour delay schedule (Breakfast 6-12*)
- Elementary begins at 11:10 a.m.
- Secondary begins at 11:40 a.m.
Note: When we delay, our building opening times are also delayed. Please do not drop your children off at the school at the regular time as the building will be locked. *Breakfast is not served for elementary students on 2-hour and 3-hour delays because lunch happens quickly after school starts, but it is available upon request.
Early Dismissals
Sometimes the weather deteriorates during the school day. In these cases, the District will consider an early dismissal. In this case, the District tries to make a decision by noon and then follow our emergency communications process.
Makeup Days
Snow days will be made up according to the academic calendar.