St. Charles CUSD 303
201 South 7th Street
St. Charles, IL 60174
Closing School Due to Inclement Weather
Board Policy 4:170 authorizes the Superintendent to close school(s) in the event of
hazardous weather or other emergency that threatens the safety of students, staff members
or school property.
When there is extreme weather, District 303 leadership closely monitors conditions and forecasts and collaborates with other local agencies when making a decision about any changes to school operations. Safety is always the top priority. When extreme weather, hazardous travel conditions, or another emergency poses a serious threat to the safety of students, staff members or school property, District 303 will close schools (which may also include the closure of District 303 office buildings) or implement a delayed start.
In the event of hazardous amounts of snow, ice, extreme cold, low-temperature wind chills, or other emergency situations that pose safety concerns, the District 303 Superintendent may choose to implement a:
When considering changes to schedules due to inclement weather, District 303 closely monitors future and current weather and travel conditions. Leadership also routinely confers with local and neighboring public officials and school districts. Specifically, we’re assessing how weather conditions may impact travel for buses, families who drive students to and from school, and those who walk. While extreme cold temperatures play a factor in the decision, there are no specific temperatures which automatically trigger the closing or delayed start of school.
When Will District 303 Make a Decision?
We recognize the challenges that abrupt schedule changes can have on families, and we aim to notify families and the community as early as possible of a closing or delayed start.
To the extent possible based on forecasted or actual weather conditions, communication procedures are as follows:
Please note, if District 303 does not send a notification about school closings or modified operations, we are operating on the normal schedule.
District 303 will send notifications to families through the Finalsite (formerly ParentLink) system by text message, phone call or email based on your settings. Please note, District 303 does not send notifications if schools will remain open.
View/Edit Notification Preferences
Parents/guardians can view and edit their contact settings through the Home Access Center.
Users can only update their child(ren) and personal contact information. You will not be able to make changes to another parent/guardian's contact information. For updates to emergency contacts, please reach out to the school directly.
Enable Text Messages
To receive timely emergency communications, we strongly encourage families to enable text notifications. For most people, this is the fastest way to receive and view important messages.
Other Communication Methods
District 303 will first send notifications to families via Finalsite. We will also publish school closings or modified operations information to the District and school websites, our District social media pages and the Emergency Closing Network.
How do Closed Days Impact the School Calendar?
When a day(s) is missed due to school closings (known as “emergency day”), the day(s) will be made up at the end of the school year, in accordance with the approved calendar. For the 2024-2025 school year, If no emergency days are used, the last day for students is on Thursday, May 29. If emergency days are used, the makeup days would be as follows:
Given the uncertainty of potential emergency day usage each school year, families and staff are encouraged to refrain from scheduling personal activities until after the last emergency date. Check the calendar to verify the last day of school.
How do Delayed Starts Impact the School Day?
In a delayed start the District will push back the start time for each school, along with bus routes, by a time consistent with the improving weather conditions (usually two hours). A delayed start also means that all morning activities are canceled (e.g. practices and drivers education, clubs, before school care).
Due to the transportation requirements of a delayed start, all morning early childhood, preschool, and kindergarten programs (including extended day at Davis Primary) are canceled. Afternoon early childhood, preschool and kindergarten programs will operate on schedule.
