The district may close schools because of severe weather, epidemics, or other emergency conditions. When such conditions exist, the Superintendent will make the official decision concerning the closing of the district’s facilities. When it becomes necessary to open late, to release students early, or to cancel school, district officials will post a notice on the district’s website, use Remind, the district’s Facebook Page, and notify the following radio and television stations: KXOX, KTXS, KTAB, and KRBC. If there is no announcement, assume schools will open as usual.
When the threat or condition of extreme weather exists, Sweetwater ISD officials will begin checking roads as early as 4:30 a.m. in order to determine if school will be held as scheduled. The decision regarding school closure or a late start will be made by 6:00 a.m. When inclement weather conditions exist, parents are advised to listen for announcements regarding school schedules on local radio or television stations as well as check the Sweetwater ISD website. Each media outlet will be contacted and informed of any decision affecting school schedules by 6 a.m. Campus administrators who can safely reach the campus will be at the school to make sure students are not dropped off in the event a parent does not receive notification of the school closing. For safety and security purposes, parents should never drop off or leave their children unattended.
If school is delayed it could be up to three hours beyond the regular start time. Once the decision is made to delay the opening of school, buses will run on a similarly delayed schedule. For example, if the school start time is delayed two hours, students will need to be at their bus stop two hours later than their regular time. In the event the decision is made to delay the opening of school, District officials will continue to monitor road and weather conditions. If conditions do not improve, the District may ultimately decide to cancel school for the day. The decision to close schools in lieu of starting late will be made as early as possible so parents can make appropriate plans for their children. Parents should continue to monitor the news and the District website in these situations. The District will also utilize its automated notification system.
If school has been cancelled for the day, the assumption is that there will not be any after- school or evening activities unless otherwise communicated. If conditions improve greatly and an activity is scheduled with another district, the activity potentially could go on as scheduled. If conditions deteriorate during the day or the threat of inclement weather becomes more likely, the District may modify or cancel after-school and evening activity schedules.
Sweetwater ISD does not typically release school early due to the threat of weather. However, parents may pick their children up from school if they believe it is in their family’s best interest. If weather conditions were to deteriorate during the day schools could be released as early as 1:00 p.m. Therefore, we recommend you have a plan in place in the event circumstances necessitate an early release of students.
Each year, parents are asked to complete an emergency release form to provide contact information in the event that the district needs to notify parents of early dismissal, delayed opening, or restricted access to a campus because of severe weather, a security threat, or another emergency cause. The district will rely on contact information on file with the district to communicate with parents in an emergency situation, which may include real-time or automated messages. It is crucial to notify your child’s school when a phone number changes. State law requires parents to update contact information within two weeks after the date the information changes.