If there is a change to our normal operating schedule, Kent School District will communicate with families and staff as soon as possible in a variety of ways.

1. Automated phone calls. Please update Skyward Qmlativ Family Access (find out how) or provide your school with current telephone numbers to reach you in a timely manner and keep other emergency contacts up to date for emergency alerts.

2. Emails will be sent to all parents/guardians with an email address listed in Skyward Qmlativ Family Access.

3. Mobile app notifications. Download the Kent School District, WA app for free from the App Store or Google Play.

4. FlashAlert announcements. Subscribe to receive notifications. 

5. District and school websites. 

6. Social media. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

7. Text messages will be sent to all parents/guardians with a cell phone listed in Skyward Qmlativ Family Access.

8. Announcements on local media. 

You can change specific contact information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, directly in Skyward Qmlativ Family Access.

If you need to update your emergency contact information or physical address, please contact your school office for assistance.

In emergency situations, such as snow and icy weather conditions, the top priority is the safety of students and staff. We also recognize school closures disrupt family schedules and extend the school year. The decision to close schools is not an easy one.

It’s also complicated by the fact that our district covers 72 square miles of diverse terrain. In one part of the district, the roads may be perfectly clear while others are struggling with snow and/or ice. We recognize conditions can vary throughout the district, as our topography ranges from just above sea level to 750 feet in elevation.

Additionally, only 55 percent of our staff live within district boundaries, so we must also consider the ability of our 4,000+ employees to safely travel to work, as well as the 24,000+ students who need safe routes to school.

It is important to know that more than 10,000 of our K-12 students walk to school, so road and sidewalk conditions are a key factor in our decision-making process.

We understand when schools close, it creates challenges for families, including childcare concerns, access to school meals and disruptions to students' daily routines. We also recognize that schools provide critical spaces for students beyond academics. However, even one accident or injury due to unsafe conditions is too many, and we must always prioritize safety in our decision-making.

Making a decision about weather-related school closures is always difficult because so many different situations have to be considered. 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 road conditions across the district very early in the morning.

• District leaders, transportation, facilities, maintenance, and safety staff drive our district’s most challenging areas.

  • This includes not only main roads, but also side streets, walking routes, sidewalks, and school parking lots.

• They compare notes with transportation staff from neighboring districts to assess conditions outside our local area.

• They review hourly weather forecasts from multiple sources to assess whether conditions are improving or deteriorating.

• If there is a closure or a late start, we begin the communication system to get the word out to parents, students, and staff as soon as possible and sometimes, the night before during a continuing weather event.

  • When inclement weather is expected, our team begins driving district roads as early as 3:30–4:45 a.m. to make a decision by 5:00 a.m. If a two-hour delay has already been established the night before, we reassess conditions between 5:00–6:30 a.m. and finalize our decision by 7:00 a.m.

• Please check with your school office to make sure your student's emergency contact information is up-to-date.

We make the best decision possible given the information we have, with student and staff safety in mind choosing from one four options:

1. Leave all schools open operating on normal schedules.

2. Start all schools two hours late so the extra time and daylight will make it easier for students to get to school safely.

   • Buses will run two hours late from their regular schedule.

   • There will be no out of district transportation.

   • There will be no preschool classes. 

   • Important: If limited bus service is necessary, please check with your school office or the district website for limited bus stop locations.

3. Close all schools.

   • All KSD schools are closed for the day.

   • There is no transportation.

   • All school activities are canceled, including any community use events.

   • All Early & Extended Learning Programs are closed.

   • Community use of district facilities is canceled.

     • If school is closed on a Friday due to weather related conditions, there is no facility use on the weekend, even if weather conditions improve.

4. Close all schools and the KSD Administration Center.

   • Same as closed and additionally the KSD Administration Center is also closed for staff and operations. 

For communication and administrative reasons, it is not possible to close just some schools in the district while leaving other schools open for districtwide weather events. Therefore, the decision has to be the best one for the safety of students in all areas of the district while at the same time avoiding unnecessary disruption.

Due to inclement weather schedule changes, there may be school days when transportation outside of Kent School District (KSD) is not available. Learn what "no out-of-district transportation" means in a schedule alert and which students it impacts.