There is a 2-hour late start today, Thursday, February 6.
Families: Please view your student(s) school bell schedule to determine when your student’s school will begin two hours later than normal.
Buses will run two hours later than the regular schedule. Please be at the bus stop two hours later than your normal pick-up time.
Zero hour canceled.
All out of district transportation canceled.
All A.M. and P.M. preschool classes canceled.
Lunch served.
Staff: Please follow the Inclement Weather Memo for your labor group and use caution when driving in parking lots and walking on sidewalks.
Decision Process
Making a decision about weather-related school closures is always difficult because so many different situations must be considered. These decisions are complex and affect tens of thousands of individuals. We do our very best to balance the many interests at stake, but we recognize that no matter what decision we make, it will not please everyone.
We take the decision-making process very seriously. Student and staff safety is always our number one priority. Our staff begins evaluating surface conditions across the district very early in the morning.
District leaders, transportation, facilities, maintenance, and safety staff drive our district’s most challenging areas. A thorough assessment of the neighborhoods, parking lots, and walking routes is completed.
They compare notes with transportation staff from neighboring districts to assess conditions outside our local area.
They review hourly weather forecasts to assess whether conditions are improving or deteriorating.
It is important to note that although some main roads may appear wet or clear, the Kent School District encompasses 72-square miles of varied terrain and topography. Additionally, we have over 10,000 students who walk to school. Therefore, our early morning assessments consider not only the roads traveled by cars and buses but also the routes our students take to reach their buses, their walking paths to school, and the sidewalks and parking lots they navigate.
Again, with safety as our focus, all school start times are delayed by two hours on Thursday, February 6. Please continue checking your email/phone, school/district websites, social media, and local news for any updates to school schedules or bus routes.