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Inclement Weather Protocol
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When there is a concern of inclement weather in our area, Belton ISD administrators work through a thoughtful process, consider many factors and partner with emergency management officials whenever we must consider delaying or canceling school.
Student and staff safety always serves as our main consideration, and we always strive to err on the side of caution. Each weather incident is unique and requires specific considerations.
A delay in the start of school or canceling the school day completely can have a significant impact on families. We also want to ensure that we make decisions that minimize any negative impact on student learning. In other words, when there is no safety concern in getting to school, we want to ensure our students are at school. This is the balance we constantly weigh when making school delay and school closure decisions.
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How do we make our decision?
We make our decision to open or close schools in bad weather based on careful analysis of as many relevant factors as we can gather, including:
- Numerous consultations with our local emergency management partners and weather experts. In the days leading up to a possible weather incident, we monitor local forecasts. Both in the evening before the incident and in the early morning hours. We collaborate with Bell County officials.
- Information on road conditions from transportation staff and local law enforcement officials. We must give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in the district. Even if the street in front of your house looks clear, travel elsewhere in the district may be dangerous. BISD is about 200 square miles. In addition, we must consider the risk to our least experienced drivers, our high school students. Teams begin checking roads at 3 a.m.
- Amount of snow or ice accumulated and projected accumulations. We also consider whether or not precipitation is continuing.
- Building conditions, such as whether there is any interruption in our buildings’ electricity and heat.
- Parking lot and sidewalk conditions. We monitor conditions. Keep in mind, that the roads may be clear, but parking lots and sidewalks may be unsafe.
- Weather predictions. We consider and monitor weather predictions. We know that forecasts are not always accurate.
- Consideration to what area school districts and universities are doing. While every district has its unique situations, we stay in touch with other districts to help guide decision-making.
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Who makes the decision?
The superintendent makes the final decision based on the factors and recommendations from district staff, including the plant services and transportation departments.
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When is the decision made?
We make the decision by 5:30 a.m. so we can notify local media, post the information on our website, and start the automated texts, emails and phone calls by 6 a.m. If we believe that the forecasts won’t change during the overnight hours, we may make the decision to delay school or cancel school the night before. Our first buses leave the transportation center around 5:45 a.m., so we work diligently to decide as early as possible. Finally, we know that waiting much later in the morning limits parents’ options when they are making childcare decisions.
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How is the public notified?
We post the announcement on the district website, www.bisd.net, and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter)) and send texts, emails and automated phone calls to parents of BISD students and staff. In addition, we notify local media so they can broadcast the updates.
