When will schools close? DFW school districts monitoring weather forecast
DALLAS - Schools in North Texas are carefully watching the forecast before making the call on whether to cancel classes on Thursday and Friday.
Given that the weather forecast calls for several inches of snow in the Metroplex, many families may be wondering why school districts haven’t already made a decision to close schools.
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It’s bad news for all the kids and teachers who were hoping for an extended winter break. At least one school official said snow on the ground doesn’t necessarily mean no school.
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Dallas ISD
Chief Operating Officer David Bates said it's not about the prediction of snow.
"Kids have gone to school when it's cold and a little flurries before, but can’t handle the ice," he said. "If we do have snow accumulate, we'll have some downed tree branches which could affect the power lines, right. And without power, you have no heat. So, we will look at all those things."
The reality is that most school districts will wait until there is more certainty in the forecast before making the call to close schools.
Dallas ISD hopes to make a decision on Wednesday after a 1 p.m. briefing from the National Weather Service.
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Meanwhile, the district’s athletics department is still monitoring the conditions for events on Thursday and Friday.
Corey Eaton with Dallas ISD Athletics says the threshold to cancel outdoor events is a temperature of 28 degrees with the wind chill dipping down to 22 degrees.
"We started this Sunday looking at the forecast. So we want to make sure foremost that our athletics are safe when they play," he said. "We’ve been monitoring and taking action throughout this whole week."
Eaton says they haven't made a decision on whether events will be canceled on Thursday and Friday with the predicted snowfall.
"Our leadership is considering the options," he said. "They’ve been studying the forecast all week, and they’ll decide something soon."
If the district decides to cancel school, athletic events will more than likely be canceled as well.
Richardson ISD
Superintendent Tabitha Branum said her district is also waiting to make the decision because forecasts are known to change.
She said safety is the top priority for the district when deciding if schools should close.
"One of the challenges, for example, for Thursday, is the fact that in the end in the morning our staff and our students may be able to get to school with no impending weather. But by the afternoon, that might be when we see our real challenges, and in the end we have 160 buses with 6,000 students. We have hundreds of high school student drivers," Superintendent Branum said.
Other large districts are following a similar approach.
Branum confirmed a lot of North Texas school districts collaborate on these types of decisions.
Fort Worth ISD
Fort Worth ISD hasn’t yet replied to FOX 4 regarding closures. In an update on its website, the district said it is actively monitoring current weather conditions.
Arlington ISD
Arlington ISD said it will also turn to the NWS for a briefing for planning purposes. The school district hopes to have more information available for families on Wednesday.
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Plano ISD
Plano ISD also hasn’t yet commented on possible closures. Instead, the district’s website said it is closely monitoring the weather and will communicate with families if things change.
Irving ISD
Irving ISD shared a Winter Weather Checklist with families on social media. It lists all the places a school closure might be announced once that decision is made.
Garland ISD
Garland ISD said if weather does impact schools, it will share updates on the district’s website, social media platforms, and through the ParentSquare notification system by 6 a.m.
The district said it relies on the NWS, the Texas Department of Transportation, local law enforcement agencies, actual road conditions, and neighboring school districts when making a decision about snow and ice closures.
Garland ISD tries to avoid early dismissals or delayed openings because of the district’s staggered bus schedules, according to its website.
Frisco ISD
Frisco ISD said it will make the call before 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Any weather-related closures or updates will be communicated to families via email, text, phone, social media, the district’s website, and on the news.
The district policy allows coaches or teams to cancel games if there is not a district wide cancelation.