The best thing you can do is to make sure that your emergency contact information in the Parent Portal is accurate, including phone numbers and email addresses.

In most cases, we will use the District’s auto-dialer system to notify parents of closings or emergencies via phone call, email, and text message. The automated system pulls families’ contact information directly from our student database. If your phone numbers or email address are incorrect in our database, you will not be able to receive these important updates.

When bad weather is forecast, please monitor the District website and social media channels, along with local news media outlets, for information and updates.

Under Ohio law, the Superintendent of schools is the only person permitted to close or alter the schedule of individual schools or the school district.

While school closures are generally a result of poor weather conditions, other factors can also impact the decision to close schools. Regardless of the issue, we make the decision to open/close schools or modify the school day schedule based upon a careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

• Weather forecasts (including those from a weather alert service);
• The timing of expected weather, and if conditions are expected to worsen or improve;
• Information on road conditions from our transportation staff and local officials;
• Impact on our transportation fleet (diesel fuel begins to gel at sub-zero temperatures);
• Building conditions, such as whether the buildings have electricity, heat, and water;
• Amount of accumulated snow and ice, and our ability to clear school parking lots and sidewalks;
• Ambient (surrounding air) temperature and the wind-chill factor.

Our goal is to announce cancellations as soon as we can, so we are constantly monitoring weather forecasts and road conditions, and will make an announcement the night before whenever possible.  If weather conditions are such that a determination the night before is not possible, the Superintendent and her Operations team will make a decision no later than 5:30 a.m. Keep in mind that unusual weather conditions may force us to make the decision after this time. It is suggested that you monitor the District’s website and local television and radio stations for updates regarding school closings.

News about cancellations of classes or the cancellation of extracurricular activities, field trips, and/or student athletic events due to inclement weather, are shared in several ways:

• All families and staff will be alerted through an automated call, email, and text message from the District’s phone system. It is important to have your updated contact information on file in the Parent Portal in order to receive this notification.
• Follow Columbus City Schools on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or check our website. As soon as the decision is made to cancel classes, we’ll share the news and other schedule updates on our website and social media pages.
• Monitor the news on local television and radio stations, who we notify of all closings.

Because district buses begin picking up students as early as 5:30 a.m., even if weather conditions worsen, we cannot reverse an early-morning decision for schools to remain open – without potentially endangering students. Once we make the decision to open the schools, many parents rely on it and leave for work. If we then send students back home, many will return to unsupervised bus stops and empty houses. If conditions worsen during the school day, we may need to have an early dismissal, but we will give as much notice as possible, through a wide array of communication channels.

Because weather forecasts are not always consistent or accurate, it is impractical to rely solely on these reports. While we prefer to make our decision based on visible or reported conditions, we do consider forecasts to determine if conditions are expected to improve or worsen throughout the day. The school district monitors a wide variety of forecast sources, as well as having district staff driving the city roadways as early as 3:00 a.m., in order to obtain as accurate a view of the conditions as is possible.

When the District’s schools are in session, all bus stops will be serviced, even during inclement weather. Buses may run late for a variety of reasons, including traffic and road conditions. Take measures to ensure your child is wearing suitable clothing for the day’s weather in the event they must wait at the bus stop for a longer-than-usual time. Parents also should have a contingency plan in the event that a bus is running extremely late or breaks down before reaching the bus stop. Make your child aware of what they should do or who to call if the bus does not arrive. Identify a neighbor, friend, or a reliable “student buddy” that can help in the event of an unexpected emergency.

There is no set temperature at which the district automatically closes schools, but the ambient temperature is one of the many factors (along with wind-chill, road conditions, and weather forecasts) taken into consideration when making a school-closure decision. In most cases, schools can remain open when the ambient air temperature is below zero. As such, parents should ensure that their child is dressed appropriately for expected weather conditions.

Because there are many media and weather sources reporting ambient temperatures and wind-chill factors from throughout the area (often reporting different temperatures or wind chills at the same time) we have not published a specific temperature or wind-chill factor that would automatically close our schools.

Generally speaking, evening activities, events, and athletic practices are canceled when schools are closed for the day. However, there are occasions when an event might occur even when schools have been closed. Please monitor the District’s website and social media outlets for special instructions.

Yes. When the District has canceled classes for the day, all CCS Latchkey programs will be closed as well.

While we do everything possible to avoid sending students home before their scheduled dismissal time, weather or other factors (such as power outages and water line breaks) can cause the district to “Early Release” students. An auto-dial message (including phone, email, and text message) will be sent to all primary parent contact phone numbers, the media will be notified, and a message will be posted on the district’s website and social media outlets. Students will not be able to use school telephones to make alternate arrangements, so please have an emergency backup plan in place in the event of an unexpected dismissal.

When schools are closed or dismissed early, after-school care (Latchkey) may still remain open, depending on the conditions. The District will include information about Latchkey on its website and in information provided via our phone dialer and email and to the media.

All families should make arrangements for their children in the event of a school closure.

• Children should know where to go if a parent will not be home and how to contact the parent, guardian, or another adult with whom there are backup arrangements.
• Parent contact information, including work and cell phone numbers, should be kept up-to-date with the school.
• If you are instructed to pick up your student at a location other than their school due to a closure, you will be asked to present a photo ID before the student will be released to your care.
• In cold weather, students should be dressed appropriately for the conditions, as it is impossible to predict when a school might have to be evacuated due to an emergency.

Columbus City Schools provides school bus transportation to more than 30,000 CCS students. Because our 560+ buses are serving many schools in a multi-tiered routing system, it is not feasible to operate a delayed-start schedule.

School bus transportation is widely available across the school district. If parents believe it is unsafe for their high school student to drive to or from school because of weather conditions, the student is welcome to ride their assigned bus. Students can also walk or be driven by a parent or another adult of the parents’ choosing.

Since parents and guardians are the legal representative for their child, it is their right to decide what is best for their child with respect to safety concerns. The option to keep a child home from school when the parent considers the weather conditions to be excessively dangerous is always at the parents’ discretion, and the school understands and respects the decision. However, if school is in session, the parent should notify the school that their child will be remaining at home on a “Parental Excused Absence.” While the absence will be considered “excused,” it will still be counted as an absence for the day.

Due to circumstances beyond our control schools may experience power outages or other emergencies, such as gas leaks, water service disruption, etc. Should events of this nature occur, District personnel will make every effort to provide for the comfort and safety of students and staff. While disruptive, schools can often remain in session when without power. The District does not want to send students home unsupervised or to a home without electricity or water. If the Superintendent determines that classes cannot continue for the duration of the day, the District will notify parents by phone, email, and text message via the auto-dialer system, notify the media, and post an announcement on the District’s website and social media outlets.

Please know that we do our best to keep our students and staff safe at all times. When it comes to the decision of whether schools remain open or be closed, there is often no perfect decision that everyone can agree upon. We hope this information helps everyone understand the process that we use to make the best possible decision for everyone connected with our schools.

Website: ccsoh.us

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CCS FACTLine: 614-221-3228

CCS Customer Relations: 614-365-5888