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Granite School District

Granite School District > Parent Link > This is how schools determine snow closures

This is how schools determine snow closures

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Here in Utah we expect an annual average of 50 inches of snow in the Salt Lake Valley alone. Needless to say we are a little more accustomed to snow than some of our friends in other parts of the country.

However, there are occasions when our neck of the woods is hit by a sizeable storm, even by our standards. In the midst of snowy weather it may seem peculiar for schools to keep their doors open.

While snowstorms do present obstacles, Granite School District aims to keep schools open whenever possible.

Why keep schools open during a snowstorm?

Prior to and during a snowstorm, we receive up-to-date reports on road conditions, transportation capability, and the status of our buildings. We will keep schools open if these reports indicate we can safely transport children, and open and operate our buildings.

Like any public service, people count on our schools to remain open. Our role in the community goes beyond providing educational services to more than 67,000 students:

  • More than half of Granite School District students rely on their neighborhood school for breakfast and lunch. These meals are not simply convenient; they provide nutritional needs for kids who may otherwise go without them.
  • A majority of students in the district would remain home alone without supervision if their school had an unscheduled closure. Many families don’t have the luxury of adjusting work schedules on short notice.
  • A functioning school building provides warmth and safety in addition to classroom instruction.

What if reports indicate significant difficulties?

If reports show substantial challenges, individual schools may decide to implement a late start to resolve the situation. The emergency late start schedule still counts as a full day of instruction, thus no make up day in the spring is needed.

If it appears a late start schedule would not alleviate conditions, affected schools will be closed. An emergency closure make up day in the spring is included in the calendar.

Parents will be notified as soon as possible should a late start or a full closure be implemented. Please ensure your contact information listed on school records is accurate. The district’s website and social media accounts will also post emergency closure information.

My school is open, but it looks bad out there!

We trust parents to make the ultimate call when it comes to their child’s safety. Not all streets are plowed at the same time, and snow totals may differ from region to region. If you do not think it is safe to send or take your kids to school during a weather incident, please keep them home. School officials will be understanding regarding tardiness and absences during inclement winter weather.

In short, if you have options, feel free to exercise them. If not, know that we are here for your children.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I do not see mention of the safety of employees as a consideration. Is the safety of employees considered in determining a school closure?

    • Definitely. The column indicates that IF schools can open, and we obviously can’t open without our employees. This is why a late start is such a viable option, to ensure our employees can arrive safely as well.

    • Stop, seriously. Why does everybody have to fuss and whine over every little thing. The point of the documentation was to inform parents about the process and the issues regarding their students. GROW UP.

  2. Thank you! This was extremely helpful and informative. I always appreciate knowing the reasoning behind a decision. Keep sending posts like this!

  3. The 3 main reasons listed for keeping schools open: food, supervision and warmth/safety are also available in many of the students’ homes, without having to risk traveling on slippery roads!!

    And even though there is a cause and effect relationship, I don’t believe it’s the government’s job to provide these things, especially at all costs.

    If staying open just to provide free daycare for families in need is the real reason for not closing schools when it seems prudent, then I feel more motivated to keep my children home during storms like this, especially when teachers have a hard time making it to school and classroom instruction doesn’t necessarily happen!

    However, my daughter had a huge test in her AP class today and refused to stay home, because unless the school actually closed she’d be penalized. So it doesn’t work very well for everyone to decide for themselves whether or not it’s a snow day!

    • We appreciate the feedback. Please let us know if there are any negative repercussions for your student missing a class due to weather.

    • Come on Tiffany, please read the entire article and interpret it in the context in which it was written. Save your political ideology for another forum. “Our role (Granite School District) goes beyond providing educational services to ……. Students.” That means the “primary role” is education, not the three “main reasons” that you listed.
      Consider yourself lucky/blessed/fortunate that you have the ability to stay home with your children should you choose to do so. How fortunate that your family can have three balanced, nutritious meals each day. Unfortunately not every family is as lucky as yours or mine. We have many neighbors & friends who live in single family homes, and not all of them are due to choice. Not all employers can afford to have employees miss work to stay home with their children unexpectedly. Please think of the big picture, all 67,000 students, instead of focusing in on one unique situation.

    • I appreciate the schools staying open for these reasons. I’m a single mom and I can’t miss work. I do depend on the schools for lunch. I don’t have it in my budget this week to feed my kids lunch. My kids would have been stuck eating Top Ramen for lunch as its all I have in my house until payday. So I’m sorry you don’t feel it’s the governments job but for those of us that plan down to the penny, snow closure days are hard. I think the policy of deciding what’s best for your family is good if you don’t feel safe, don’t send your kids. When you send your kids to bed hungry please feel free to complain, until then please try to be a bit more understanding.

  5. We’ve moved here from another snowy state and a much better communication system. I’d like to see the District actually communicate about inclement weather on their site. This means letting us know that even if there is a storm happening, school is still open, and is still on time. Today was a major storm and I left the house feeling unsure of the status. There is never too much communication and it is simple enough to post an update that lives on the District homepage. Thank you.

  6. Hello, I’m a student in high school from Granite School District. I think it would be a good point to bring up that although a snow day would be somewhat beneficial to students and faculty members, it isn’t the best option. Trust me, I get that having your kids stay home may look like a great idea but in all honesty, if they stay home what are they supposed to do? I know for a fact that although I would stay home, there is no real benefit for it unless it would be genuinely unsafe for me to do so. As long as the school buses are running and public transportation is available, I feel genuinely safe getting to school, even if I have to take a bus rather than drive myself. The emergency late start can be implemented in cases like this which would also give me ample time to get to school through other means of transportation. With that, have a good day.

  7. Took me 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to work today and a colleague over 3 hours. Please be more considerate of employees safety, especially when the governor of the state issues a letter asking you to do so.

  9. I live 60 miles away. I have no personal days left, so I have no choice but to go to work. Parents have a choice of sending their children to school or not. Employees may live far away, and don’t have the luxury of deciding to stay home like the students. There are 1000’s of employees and they need to stay off those roads. There were 150 accidents today. UDOT recommended that people don’t be on the roads until later. This is about safe travel for everyone.

  10. I received a reminder from both of my kiddo’s schools Sunday night and they both recited that if my children stayed home because of the weather, the school would make accommodations to ensure success and safety.

    I get the frustration, however having 4 children (2 graduated and 2 in school), I have managed a good relationship with each of their schools (more than there should have been) which situations like bad weather days were accommodated for on our time.

    For example, my Son had am AP physics test on the storm Jan 2013 and we kept him home one of those days and the teacher and principal helped coordinate time to take the exam.

    Anyway, I thought I would share. Be safe.

    • Main page of this site, district social media accounts, and notifications via phone message.

  13. I just have to say, I am LOVING the text updates! I think that if parents take advantage, they can get the school info right away.