How Spokane Public Schools decide about snowfalls and delays

With significant snow expected on Thursday morning, Spokane Public Schools is explaining its process of determining if there will be any cancellations or delays.

SPOKANE, Washington – A fair amount of snow could disrupt Spokane commutes on Thursday morning. Weather forecasters believe this could be the largest snow trap in Spokane this season, with a forecast of 10 to 20 inches.

With so much snow on the way, parents will be on their phones on Thursday morning for messages about school dropouts or delays.

Ahead of the storm, Spokane Public School is sharing details on how it is carrying out the call to cancel or postpone the school.

SPS has a weather warning team that starts work the night before an expected major snow event. This team includes district managers and officers from Durham buses.

At 3:00 a.m., Durham guards begin driving the school bus routes north and south of the city. They create reports and send recommendations to the district management.

At 5:00 am, the SPS superintendent and communications director conduct a briefing to make a final decision on the district’s status. In the event of a cancellation or delay, the district begins by notifying the parents and staff.

How does the SPS decide when the school will be postponed or canceled due to the winter weather? ️👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/4LgIDCp9g9

– Spokane Schools (@spokaneschools) January 4, 2022

How to find out if there are any changes to Spokane Public School

The district notifies parents and staff in a number of ways:

Weather makeup days

If SPS decides to cancel the school due to the weather, the day must be made up. State law requires the district to meet for 180 days.

The district currently has three weather / emergency makeup days built into the school calendar on January 31, March 14, and June 20.

LOOK MORE: Jeremy LaGoo’s 2021-2022 Winter Forecast: What La Niña Could Bring to Spokane, Northern Idaho