Delay or closure
A winter morning gives a school district four choices: open on time, start late, close for the day, or open and send everyone home early. Which one you get depends on when the weather arrives more than on how much of it there is.
Who decides, and when
In most US districts the superintendent makes the call, often after talking to the transportation director, road crews and neighboring districts. The decision is usually made before dawn so that families and bus drivers hear it before they leave home. Some districts announce the evening before when a storm is certain.
There is no national rule. Each district sets its own practice, which is why two towns under the same storm can do different things.
Two-hour delay
A delay pushes the start of the day back, most often by two hours and sometimes by one or three. Buses run the same routes later. Districts choose a delay when the problem is expected to pass:
- The snow stopped overnight and plows need a few more hours.
- Roads are icy at dawn and will improve once the sun is up or the temperature rises.
- The wind chill is dangerous at the usual bus-stop time and will ease by mid-morning.
A delay can also buy time. If roads are still bad when the delayed start approaches, the district may change the delay to a closure.
Closure
A closure, the snow day itself, means no school for the day. Districts close when the trouble will last through the morning:
- Heavy snow is still falling at the time buses would run.
- Ice covers the roads and will not melt in a few hours.
- Back roads on bus routes are impassable even though main roads are clear.
- Buildings have no power or heat.
- Cold is severe all day.
Many states require a set number of school days or hours each year, so a district that uses more snow days than it planned for may add days later in the year. Some districts now hold remote learning days instead of closing. Both practices vary by state and district, so check your own district’s calendar.
Early dismissal
When a storm is due during the school day, a district may open on time and send students home early, before the roads get worse. It is the least popular option with families, because it comes at short notice, so districts that expect a midday storm often close for the whole day instead.
What tips a delay into a closure
Timing is the main thing. The same six inches can mean any of the three:
- Ending at 10 p.m.: plows work all night, and school may open on time or after a delay.
- Falling from midnight to 7 a.m.: the roads are at their worst when buses would leave, and a closure is likely.
- Starting at 10 a.m.: school opens, and an early dismissal is possible.
The second factor is what the district is used to. A district with a large plow fleet and decades of practice stays open through snow that would close schools for days somewhere that sees it once a year. Rural districts with long bus routes on unpaved or hilly roads close more readily than city districts where most students walk.
Ice is the exception to every rule about amounts. A thin glaze of freezing rain makes roads worse than a foot of snow, and it closes schools in every part of the country.
How the calculator treats the two
The snow day calculator gives two numbers: the chance of a closure and the chance of a late start instead. Snow that ends before midnight counts for less toward a closure, which pushes the result toward a delay. Snow that starts after 8 a.m. also counts for less, because the likelier outcome is an early dismissal. The How it works page gives the exact weights.