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- Cherry Creek School District No. 5
- School Closures & Delays Information
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Parents and Guardians:
Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in the my.cherrycreekschools Parent Portal so you will receive important weather and emergency updates from CCSD. Verify and/or update your information at my.cherrycreekschools.org.
School Closures and Delays Information
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In the event of a weather delay or closure, parents will be notified via the Blackboard Connect automated message system. We will also post the notification on our district and school websites, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and notify the news media.
When schools are closed
- Before- and After-School Daycare programs are cancelled.
- All activities scheduled in district facilities are cancelled.
- In-district sports events and team practices are postponed.
When schools are on a delayed start
- Elementary school bus pickup is delayed 60 minutes. School starts at 9:00 a.m.
- High school bus pickup is delayed 90 minutes. School starts at 9:50 a.m.
- Middle school bus pickup is delayed 90 minutes. Schools starts at 10:20 a.m.
- Specific schools and programs:
- Cherry Creek Innovation Campus
- Period A1-A2 / B1-B2 - 10:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.
- Period A3-A4 / B3-B4 - 1:05-3:00 p.m.
- Challenge School start time is delayed 60 minutes to 9:00 a.m.
- Cherry Creek Academy start time is delayed 60 minutes to 9:00 a.m.
- Heritage Heights Academy start time is delayed 60 minutes to 8:55 a.m.
- Colorado Skies Academy start time is delayed 90 minutes to 9:30 a.m.
- Morning Preschool bus pickup and start times are delayed 60 minutes.
- I-TEAM program start times are delayed 90 minutes.
- Transition Center start time is delayed 90 minutes.
- Joliet Learning Center bus pickup and school start times are delayed 90 minutes.
- Expulsion program operates on a normal schedule.
- Cherry Creek Innovation Campus
- Dismissal times will be the same as usual for all schools, including morning preschool programs.
- Before- and After-School Daycare programs will operate on a normal schedule.
- We will monitor conditions throughout the day and make a decision about whether it is safe to hold after-school activities. We will communicate that decision as early as possible before the end of the school day.
Early Dismissal
If serious storm conditions or other emergency situations develop during the day, the district will monitor the situation and advise affected schools and the transportation department as soon as possible, of a decision to dismiss school early. When this decision is made, this information will be sent to parents via the Blackboard Connect automated message system, posted on this website and sent to the media as soon as possible.
Late Dismissal
In case of dangerous weather warnings or other dangerous conditions, a school may hold students past their dismissal time for safety reasons. This information will be sent to parents via the Blackboard Connect automated message system, posted on this website and sent to the radio and television stations as soon as possible.
Important
Parents are urged to make contingency plans for their child(ren) in the event of an emergency. Arrangements should be made for the child(ren) to go to a neighbor's house, or to have access to the home with directions for contacting a parent.
In no case will an elementary school child be released to a person without proper identification and clearance from the school office.
We understand that some parents may make a different decision for their families. If you feel the weather is too severe to send your child to school, please call your school's attendance line and let them know your child will be staying home. The absence will be excused.
Deciding delayed starts and snow days
Deciding whether to delay or close school when the weather gets bad, sets into motion a careful deliberative process that begins with the earliest predictions of bad weather.
The procedure for determining whether schools will start on time, be delayed or closed is as follows:
• The district receives ongoing weather forecasts from local meteorologists, AccuWeather and NOAA.
• If snow is forecast, the superintendent, assistant superintendent of Facility Support and Transportation Department staff wake at 3 a.m., survey their immediate areas and begin driving the district in quadrants.
• Beginning at 3:30 a.m., area drivers report conditions to the superintendent and transportation director.
• The district contacts neighboring districts to share information and recommendations.
• The forecast is reviewed again.
• Before 4:30 a.m., the transportation director and facility maintenance leaders share information and discuss potential recommendations with the superintendent.
• The superintendent reviews all available information and makes the final decision by 5:30 a.m. Once the decision is made, it cannot be changed, even if the weather forecast changes.
• If a delay or cancellation is to be implemented, families will by notified via the Blackboard Connect automated message system, typically by 5:30 a.m. and notifications are sent to local media agencies and posted on the district website and social media channels.
• In rare cases it is possible for the district to make a decision the evening before for a bad weather day. When that happens, families will be notified as early as possible.
Because the Cherry Creek School District is 108 square miles conditions may vary in different areas of the district, and even from neighborhood to neighborhood. What's more, decisions are based on predictions and conditions on the ground in the district before 5 a.m. We know that sometimes, extreme weather conditions arise or worsen as students, parents and community members are already commuting.
We are committed to making the best possible decisions when it comes to closures and delays, and taking every measure to ensure the safety of our entire community. Our number-one priority is making sure that everyone is able to make it to school safely, and this goal steers every step of our process.