When adverse weather conditions are in the forecast, we would ask that you refer to this page for specific directions and methods of communication that will be used in a weather emergency. If you live on a potential snow route, please contact the district's transportation department at 360-855-3504 for specific bus stop information. 

Emergency Message Lines
360-855-3573 (English)
360-855-3772 (Spanish)

Inclement Weather Communication Timeline

In the event of inclement weather, the Sedro-Woolley School District will make one of the following decisions regarding school operations:

1. Schools Closed – No school or school activities. Please note: If conditions continue to decline after a two-hour late start has been announced, the school district may make the call to cancel school by 8 a.m. before buses leave the garage for the secondary routes.

2. Schools Open – Buses operating on snow or flood routes.

3. Schools Operating on Two-Hour Late Schedule – With or without snow or flood routes.

How We Communicate Our Decision

The district will share the decision using the following methods:

• Public Radio and Television: Updates will be sent via the FlashAlert system by 5:30 a.m.. Anyone can subscribe to FlashAlert (select the Sedro-Woolley School District) to receive the same information shared with the media.

• District Website: The website will be updated by 5:30 a.m. or as soon as a decision is made.

• District Social Media: Updates will be posted on Facebook and Instagram by 5:30 a.m. or as soon as a decision is made.

Direct Messaging for Staff and Families:

• Text Messages: Staff will receive a text message before 6 a.m. for late-start announcements. Families will receive a text message at 6 a.m. for late-start announcements.

• Autodial Message: Both staff and families will receive an automated voice call by 6 a.m.

• Emergency Message Phone Line: The message will be updated by 5:45 a.m. at 360-855-3573.

Any announcements regarding a two-hour delay or school closure will apply only for that day and will generally be made by 5:30 a.m.

If no announcement is made, normal operations will continue.

Please check this page and the above communication channels for updates during inclement weather events.

All schools will be closed for one day only. All field trips, after-school activities, meetings, etc., will be canceled for the day.

• Please note: In cases of school closure, Head Start and Early Head Start (located next to Evergreen Elementary School) are closed as well.  They follow what elementary school schedules.

Due to inclement weather, schools are open at regular start times, but buses will be operating on snow routes. Please refer to the school start times below:

• Elementary Schools: 9:25 a.m.

• Cascade Middle School: 7:40 a.m.

• Sedro-Woolley High School: 7:55 a.m.

• State Street High School: 8:00 a.m.

Important Information:

• All students will be picked up and dropped off at the same location, regardless of changes in weather.

• If your road is listed in the snow route table, your child will receive a snow-route sheet.

• For any questions, please contact the Transportation Department at 360-855-3504.

In the event of inclement weather, the district may operate on a two-hour late-start schedule. The two-hour delay is based on regular start times, even on a late-start Wednesday schedule.

School Start Times:

• Elementary Schools: 11:25 a.m.

• Cascade Middle School: 9:40 a.m.

• Sedro-Woolley High School: 9:55 a.m.

• State Street High School: 10:00 a.m.

Transportation

• No out-of-district transportation: This involves all special programs including morning and afternoon Northwest Career & Technical Academy (Skills Center), regular special education, hearing-impaired, and McKinney-Vento students

• Snow routes may be in effect (this will be announced by the district). All students will be picked up and dropped off at the same location regardless of weather-related route changes.

• If your road is listed in the table below as a snow route, your child should have received a snow-route sheet. If you have any questions, please contact the Transportation Department at 360-855-3504.

• Bus pick-up schedules will run two hours later than usual. Please expect additional delays due to road conditions.

Program Adjustments

• No morning preschool (Good Beginnings, Samish Cooperative, Cub Club, and Y at Good Beginnings Preschool). Afternoon classes will operate as normal.

• Head Start and Early Head Start (located next to Evergreen Elementary School) will continue as scheduled. On Wednesdays, the program will start at the same time as the regular Tuesday schedule.

• No before-school programs will occur, including before-school music at Cascade Middle School.

Meal Service

• Breakfast will not be served, except at Sedro-Woolley High School, State Street High School, and Cascade Middle School.

Meetings and Field Trips

• Before-school meetings: Child-specific special education meetings will be rescheduled.

• Field trips: All field trips within and outside of the district are canceled.

Professional Development Wednesdays

• If the delay is on a Wednesday, no late-start Professional Learning Wednesday Activities or staff meetings

After-school Programs and Athletics

• Decisions about after-school programs and activities will be made by 1 p.m.

• Updates about athletics and other events will be announced to families by 2 p.m.

Unannounced Changes:

Since conditions change rapidly, please be prepared for unanticipated changes your child’s bus driver may make while en route. Families would be notified by the transportation department. These can include: route changes, time changes, bus stop changes, etc. The drivers are highly skilled and trained to handle their buses under all conditions, and their professional judgment under adverse driving conditions will often determine unannounced late changes.

We encourage our community to be prepared for adverse winter weather. Top off the gas tanks and check the fluids in vehicles. Check the weather forecast and road conditions prior to your morning commute. Prepare households for an extended period of cold weather (drain outdoor faucets, check the fireplace, seal drafty windows and doors, etc.). Protect your pets from the cold. Check on elderly neighbors and those with special needs. They may need your help getting ready, too.

Prepare to be without electricity. Update your emergency kit with food, water, flashlight, matches and blankets. Also make sure cell phones are charged before the storm. Report outages by calling PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or at www.pse.com/outage.

Park your car. If significant snowfall affects roadways, road crews will work to keep primary routes open, but the fewer drivers on the road the better.

If you must go out. Talk over your travel plans with others in your home, even if the trip is just a few miles.

Be safe. During the cold snap, be sure to wear extra layers of outerwear if you will be outside for any length of time (jackets, hats, gloves, extra socks, etc.) Take steps to prepare now. Better to be safe than sorry. When each of us is prepared, our whole community is prepared.

Forecasting the weather for school closures is not an easy task. Our district is large enough (395 square miles) that snow may accumulate in one area and not in other areas. Sedro-Woolley School District officials put a great deal of effort and thought into determining whether to keep schools open, start late, or close schools due to inclement weather conditions. Each time a decision is made, many different interests and issues are taken into consideration; the primary decision factor is student safety. Of course, parents make the final decision when sending students to school during inclement weather.

To insure you are notified of school delays, closures, or other emergencies, make sure you monitor the district's Facebook page, and sign up for app notifications (Apple Store or Android Store). Notifications will also be posted under the Live Feed on the district website.