Weather Guidelines
Weather Guidelines
The District will cancel school if it is determined that it is unsafe for students and staff to travel to school. The Superintendent will make a decision to close schools using guidance from the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. The decision will be made in collaboration with our partners at Benjamin Bus Company. Reasons for closure may include excessive snow, dangerously low temperatures combined with wind chill, unsafe road conditions—especially as they relate to bus travel—or if it is determined that buses will not operate dependably. The decision will typically be made prior to 5:45am in order to provide adequate notification for commuting families and our students who ride buses. Students should not report to school.
Decisions to close schools or alter schedules for students are made to ensure the safety of students based on information available. It is important to remind students, staff, parents/guardians, and District residents of the school closing procedures and communications to ensure student safety and a safe winter for all.
Families that live on rural roads may receive an alternate pick-up location from our partners at Benjamin Bus Company for days when rural routes are undriveable for buses. Families that are impacted by alternate pick-up locations will be notified as soon as possible by Benjamin Bus Company on those days.
We will focus on the safety of our students, and more specifically, on the safety of children who are waiting at bus stops or walking to school during the decision-making process. If parents/guardians disagree with the District’s decision to have school, they may always keep their children home, and it would be marked as an excused absence.
Factors used for deciding on closing school for severely cold weather are based on the National Weather Service’s wind chill forecast and their corresponding frostbite guideline chart. Consideration to delay the start of school or cancel school will be triggered if the National Weather Service projects a 6:30am wind chill temperature of -35°F to -40°F, or greater, with a corresponding frostbite stage in the 5–10 minute range. The decision will also be made if there is a combination of dangerous road conditions and a wind chill that is very cold, but may not be in the above-noted threshold.
Flexible Learning Days
What is flexible learning?
Flexible learning involves online or teacher-prepared lessons that students complete when away from the physical school building. Using one-to-one devices and making provisions for students without such devices, Jordan Public Schools (JPS) recognizes that education can continue even when students and teachers are not in the same location. Along with emphasizing the value of learning, the Flexible Learning Day encourages character growth in the areas of self-sufficiency, adaptability, and perseverance.
What are the goals of JPS Flexible Learning Days?
- To minimize the disruption to academic progress caused with school closures by making those out-of-school days as educationally productive and engaging as possible.
- To allow JPS grades 5-12 students an opportunity to practice the kind of online learning that is increasingly part of both college study and workplace training.
- To maximize the use of JPS one-to-one technology.