Canon Connections.TEMPLATE.
DATE / ISSUE
When winter weather impacts our community, decisions about school delays or closures are made with great care, intention, and collaboration. These decisions are never taken lightly. Our responsibility is twofold: to err on the side of safety, while also honoring every minute of every school day as sacred for students and staff. When I was a student myself, I LOVED snow days. As you can imagine, such is no longer the case. In fact, these decisions are STRESSFUL and involve many different considerations. That said, you might appreciate a general overview of the thoughtful, multi-step process that guides our decision-making during inclement weather.
If possible, I try to make these decisions the night before so I can respect everyone’s busy schedules and the need to shift on the fly for child care and changing plans. When we can’t make the decision the night before, due to a lack of specific meteorological guidance, the process begins very early in the morning, often as early as 3:00 a.m.
A team of district leaders (including Superintendent, Operations, Safety & Security, and Transportation) begins physically driving routes to each school, using the same roads families and staff rely on to access our buildings.
Before 4:00 a.m., district leadership members independently assess road conditions across the community, including key highways and rural routes that are especially impacted by weather.
These assessments focus on:
Road safety and traction
Ice accumulation
Visibility
Current and forecasted temperatures
The ability of operations teams to safely access facilities
This real-time, on-the-ground information is critical and cannot be replaced by weather apps alone. Before 5:00 a.m., district leadership and operations staff are in continuous communication to determine whether conditions warrant a normal start, a two-hour delay, or a closure.
At the same time:
Operations, Grounds, and Custodial Teams begin plowing and shoveling snow across the district.
Schools are cleared in priority order by start time, ensuring buildings with the earliest start times are addressed first.
Once primary areas are cleared, teams work together to ensure sidewalks, entrances, and high-traffic areas are safe and accessible.
This work happens concurrently with decision-making, as timing and accumulation rates can significantly impact readiness. During all of this, we are working with other entities to make the best possible decision, so we coordinate with:
Neighboring and regional school districts
City and County road crews
Transportation and safety partners
This collaboration helps ensure our decisions reflect broader regional conditions, especially for families and staff who travel from surrounding areas.
If a delay or closure is determined to be prudent, I will toggle to a clear and structured communication sequence to ensure accuracy and transparency:
The Board of Education is notified.
District directors and school principals are notified.
All district staff receive direct communication.
Families are notified through official district messaging systems.
District websites, social media platforms, and local media outlets are updated.
This ensures families and staff receive timely, consistent information from trusted sources. Simply put, snow days are a balancing act. We do our very best, using early assessments, collaboration, and professional judgment, to make decisions that protect safety without unnecessarily sacrificing learning time. While no system is perfect, every decision is made with students, staff, and families at the center.
And finally, with a bit of good humor: despite it being mid-December, unseasonably warm weather has (thankfully) only kept us out of school just over one day so far this season. Winter may still have plans for us, but rest assured, we’re ready!
Thank you for your understanding, trust, and partnership as we navigate Colorado winters together.
