School Closure Information

Mary Walker School District’s School Closure Procedure is in place to ensure the safety of students and staff in the event of an unexpected school closure.  The plan includes several elements that it is important for parents to be aware of.

First, an emergency plan for all students must be on file in the event that it is necessary to close school early.  We would like to know where your child should go in case of an emergency or unexpected school closing.  Cause of an emergency school closure may include an extended electrical outage, gas line leak, interruption of water or sewer service, or severe weather conditions.

Checking the safety of the students’ route to school is especially important in winter because weather in Northeast Washington can be quite challenging!  Parents need to know that they have a choice if they decide the weather, roads, bus stop, or walking conditions are unsafe for their students with consideration for the students’ maturity level and clothing.

The expectation in the Mary Walker School District is to hold school every day that we can safely transport students and that our staff can safely get to work.  However, parents are in the best position to make a judgment as to whether or not to send their children to school based on weather conditions in their specific locale.  If parents believe it is too cold or too dangerous for their children to walk, be driven, or drive to school, they certainly have the option to keep their children home.

When weather and road conditions are a concern, we gather information from different sources to decide if it is safe to transport our students to and from school.  Our first concern is the safety of students and staff.  Our school buses are well-equipped for winter conditions and our drivers are trained to drive in all kinds of weather.  We do know that it is safer for students to ride the bus than to drive themselves to school, so we encourage beginning drivers to take the bus when road conditions are poor.