In the case of inclement weather, Roanoke-Benson CUSD 60 will only contact parents and staff when schools are closed. If there is no announcement by 6:00 a.m., then schools should be considered to be open. In the event school needs to be closed, parents and staff will be notified via email, text, and the Roanoke-Benson website.  

Making the decision to cancel school is difficult and involves many factors.   The safety of our students and staff is always the primary driver of such decisions.  Additional factors include:

• Building conditions: Do the schools have power, light, and heat?

• Site conditions: Are the parking lots plowed? Can buses get in and turn around? Can parents drop off students? Are the exit doors free of snow?

• Bus operations: Can the bus drivers get to the district? Do the buses start? Do the drivers feel comfortable driving?

• Road conditions: Are the roads continually plowed and is traffic moving? Can staff travel to school safely?

• Air temperature: How cold is it? What is the wind chill? Can children safely wait at the bus stop or walk to school?

When severe weather is forecasted, we are in constant contact with the district’s transportation manager who is in constant contact with our road commissioners. We also speak with other surrounding school districts to get their input.

Snow

In general, Roanoke-Benson CUSD 60 will not close school based solely on a forecast of snow, but rather the hazardous weather must be real and present. In some cases it might be prudent to make a decision in advance, however, most of the time the decision will be made early in the morning, based on conditions that have presented themselves overnight.  

Extremely cold temperatures

There are times when schools may need to be closed due to dangerously cold temperatures. In these situations, wind chill is also taken into account, as well as the extent to which the temperatures are sustained throughout the school day. Our school district will most likely close school based on conditions where frostbite may occur after approximately 30 minutes of exposure.  This is typically up to 25 degrees below zero. Please refer to the NOAA Wind Chill Chart for additional details.

Additional safety measures for students

On extreme cold weather days when school is in session, all buildings will be open by 7:30 for student drop off. Also, if parents feel that it is unsafe for their student to come to school, parents may keep their student home with an excused absence as long as they are called into the school office. Keep in mind that this absence does count against the student’s overall total.

Please know that we take the decision about whether or not to close school based on weather events very seriously. We understand that any change to our normal routine may cause a problem for some families, so we make decisions on what we believe to be best for our students.