How Can School Districts Protect Themselves Against Severe Weather?

The decision to cancel school is one that all superintendents wrestle with any time the forecast calls for inclement weather. Safety is the primary concern when making any decision about closures, but there are a number of factors that go into determining whether it will be safe to operate.

With the number of public weather sources available, there is always the potential that members of the community will disagree with your decision. Especially if school is cancelled and severe weather doesn’t materialize; or worse, you decide to proceed as normal, but the weather is more severe than forecast putting students and staff at risk.

School districts have an immense responsibility to operate efficiently while also prioritizing the safety of students, teachers and staff. Public weather information can provide helpful insights, but site-specific forecasts provide actionable information—a crucial aspect of any proactive plan for severe weather events. What do you do when a severe weather or tropical forecast has been issued for the general public, but you are unsure how it will affect your school day?

Finding the right weather forecast is vital in making significant decisions like cancelling school or delaying opening or outdoor weather events. If these forecasts are not location-specific, there can be significant impacts to your decisions and post-weather operations.

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