Emergency & Weather

Depending on weather conditions, schools will close for the day, open two hours late with regular bus routes or snow bus routes, early release, or open on time with snow bus routes.

Changes to the school schedule are usually announced by 5 a.m. via the School Messenger notification system (phone, text, and email). Weather emergencies can sometimes disrupt power and telephone service. The district will use a variety of methods to keep you informed, but please remember to keep a battery-equipped radio as your communications backup:

Web sites:

• Bookmark the Stanwood-Camano School District web site, www.stanwood.wednet.edu, for updates.

• The Stanwood-Camano School District Facebook page

• The Stanwood-Camano School District Twitter feed

Recordings:

• Call the district's information hotline at 360-629-1240 or the transportation hotline at 360-629-1224 for a recorded message. Please do not call the Transportation Office because it is important to keep the lines open for emergencies.

What if a storm begins when my children are at school?

We do not like to dismiss school during changing weather conditions because of our concern of children being at home without any adult supervision. Releasing school early is problematic when families are not expecting it.

In cases of forecasted and it deemed necessary, the automated calling system would notify families of any changes to the regular schedule. Families may choose to pick-up their children early, but must go to the office and sign their child out. We do our best to monitor and anticipate conditions.

If school is closed, when will missed days be made up?

State law requires that children attend school 180 days. When school is closed, missed days must be made up unless they are waived by the state. State law does not currently allow school districts to add minutes onto each school day to make up missed time.

Our school district's 180-day calendar is part of the contract with our labor associations. The current teachers' contract states that the first two missed school days will be made up at the end of the school year. If additional make-up days are needed, the district and labor associations will work together on a solution.

Will after-school activities be canceled if school is closed?

Typically, activities will be canceled when school has been closed all day. Please check the district website, or your school's website, for specific information.

We recognize the importance of having children in school on a regular schedule with quality, uninterrupted learning time. With safety as our primary concern, decisions that impact student learning are always weighed with careful consideration. Thank you for patience during weather situations as we share in the frustration regarding schedule changes.

We closely monitor the weather, future forecasts and road conditions — with help form our transportation department, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and Snohomish and Island County Road Departments.

Most often, decisions are made in the early morning rather than the night before so that the most current weather conditions and forecasts can factor into the decision. We recognize the impact on family schedules, and will communicate any decision as quickly as possible.

In the early morning hours (typically beginning at 2:30 a.m.), district staff members drive main roads and side streets throughout the school district boundaries to assess driving and walking conditions. Information is compiled and reported to the Superintendent, who will make the decision — based on the best available information at that time — to close, delay and/or run buses on snow routes.

We understand these decisions disrupt family schedules and appreciate your patience during these severe weather situations. While we know that our students and families are best served when we are open, our top concern is the safety of our students and staff.

Why was this decision made? It doesn't make sense to me.

The decision to close, delay or release schools early relies on weather predictions and local conditions. The topography of our school district varies, too. Higher elevations sometimes accumulate snow or ice quickly and hold on to it longer than lower elevations.

Decisions are made based on the condition of every bus route throughout Stanwood-Camano School District. A decision must be made several hours before schools would normally open, and conditions may change dramatically during that period of time or during the day.

What does it mean when snow routes are in effect?

A snow route is a modified bus route that generally runs on main roads rather than side streets or through neighborhoods where driving a school bus may not be possible during inclement weather.

If snow routes are in effect, students must catch their bus at alternate stops. On these snow route days, students are returned after school to their snow route stops regardless of changes in the weather.

How does the district create snow routes?

Selecting snow route stops that are both safe for students and meet the school scheduling requirements is a difficult decision.

The rural location of many of our district homes along with hazardous, narrow roads without a shoulder or sidewalk make it difficult to identify snow route stops that are safe for students to walk to and from. For this reason, snow bus routes often require the student to be driven to the bus stop location.

Parents should use their own discretion regarding the use of snow route stops, transporting students to school themselves, or having student(s) remain at home during inclement weather.

While student safety is our primary concern, the district must consider numerous factors when deciding the locations of snow route stops:

• Snow route stops must have adequate space off of the road to allow for the safe transfer of students to and from personal vehicles and buses.

• Snow route stops must be large enough to safely fit the bus and numerous parent vehicles of traffic.

• Locations of stops are on the county's priority roads for snow removal so that buses can access their stops and safely transport students.

• Snow route stops must allow adequate time for parents to connect with the buses while respecting the subsequent routes and school schedules.

Stanwood-Camano School District continues to take proactive measures to protect the safety of all of our students and staff members.

District representatives work closely with both Snohomish and Island County local emergency planning committees and emergency management teams, the groups that plan our community's responses to potential threats.

The school district and all schools have safety and security plans. The plans are designed with the help of local law enforcement, emergency management, and public health officials. These plans include procedures to respond to critical incidents, such as earthquakes or fire, and school system personnel practice these drills regularly.

The actions taken during any type of emergency situation depend a great deal on the specifics of the incident. In any crisis situation, Stanwood-Camano would follow direction from pubic safety officials as appropriate to ensure student safety. The ability to remain flexible is a key component of each school's plan and of districtwide preparations.

If you have questions about your child or about your school's emergency preparedness, please contact your principal.

What is emergency preparedness?

Stanwood-Camano School District has taken steps to ensure your child's safety while in school. Each school has developed a crisis response plan. Emergency preparedness is basically preparing the steps you will take in the event of an emergency, such as contact information, communications, and evacuation plans.

Each school prepares for multiple types of emergencies to make our schools as safe as possible. Here is a brief look at some of the emergency preparedness activities and supplies in our schools.

• Routine emergency drills in buildings and buses

• Building disaster kits

• Building security

• Quick response flow charts

• Chain of command

• Communication systems with and without power

• CPR/first aid/AED training

• Established crisis teams

• Emergency/medical information for staff/students

• Ongoing emergency training for staff

• Crisis intervention checklists

• Site maps

• Water/food sources

• Food service feeding plan

Each school has a plan for responding to emergencies and for providing information to parents. Please remember that communicating can become very difficult during an emergency. Telephone service may be unavailable for outgoing or incoming calls to your child's school, for example,

In such a case, you can check the following sources of information for emergency updates.

Websites

• Check the Stanwood-Camano School District website and your school's website for updates.

• Go to Flash Alert and follow the links to Island & Snohomish County Schools then Stanwood SD. (You may also subscribe for email FlashAlert messages from the Stanwood-Camano School District.)

Social Media

Follow us on social media for important updates

• Facebook

• Nextdoor

• Instagram

• Twitter

Recordings

• Call the district information line at 360-629-1240 or the Transportation information line at 360-629-1224 for an updated recording.