Jeffco Public Schools

Many factors are taken into consideration when deciding to close schools, but the safety of students and staff is the number one consideration. Many parties work through the night and early morning to determine the best course of action and to clear the roads and our school sites. Questions that help determine our decision on these days:

• Can our school bus and snow removal teams do their jobs?
• Will we be able to provide meals?
• What is the forecast for later in the day? 

More than anything, we consider the impact on families who are counting on us to be open because they do not have access to other childcare and cannot afford to take a day off at a moment's notice. We also provide meals for hundreds of families who count on the food we provide for breakfast and lunch every day.

So ultimately we ask, does the current situation justify disrupting 86,000 students' families and their often basic human needs and 14,000 employee schedules, plus the expense to the school district? Most often, the answer is no. Because of all these reasons, we will always do whatever we can to have schools open every day.

Many often ask, do you evaluate the mountain school areas differently/separately from the more metro area locations? YES. We are aware of weather conditions throughout our district boundaries every day. The mountain areas are evaluated differently using many agencies and experts, including spotters and people located in these mountain areas. However, again, conditions must be deemed extreme enough to warrant closing, based on the reasons explained on this webpage. We work closely with county crews to evaluate and clear these areas, and our own Jeffco staff often focus on more impacted areas during weather events.

Jeffco Public Schools rarely takes snow days; that is the organizational history and culture. Like mentioned above, we live in Colorado and expect to have snowy conditions many times of the year. Unless the storm is extreme, school will not be canceled. We know the definition of “extreme” varies from person to person, but parents can always make the call not to send their children to school that day if they feel it is unsafe.

• View a video about your school district's snow closure procedures
• Read the Frequently Asked Questions

What to Expect with a 2-Hour Delay

For Everyone

• 2-hour delay will only be used during extreme circumstances of inclement weather
• Families will be notified by 5:30 a.m.
• School starts 2 hours later than the regular start time
• School ends at the normal time
• Buses run 2 hours later than normal in the morning
• Tardies/absences will be excused if school is notified by family
• Missed work should be provided and accepted under the same policy as applies to regular absences

Questions? Call your school directly.

Jeffco Public Schools rarely takes snow days; that is the organizational history and culture. We live in Colorado and expect to have snowy conditions many times of the year. Unless the storm is extreme, school will not be canceled. We know the definition of “extreme” varies from person to person, but parents can always make the call not to send their children to school that day if they feel it is unsafe.

• View a video about your school district's snow closure procedures
• Read the Frequently Asked Questions

Length of an Emergency School Closure

Unless otherwise announced, school weather-related closures are for one day only.

If there is NO further announcement after one day, then schools will operate as usual.

Event Cancellations or Postponements

Check with individual schools or event sponsors regarding the cancellation of events and activities. These kinds of cancellations may vary from school to school. Many schools will utilize social media to share this information; we encourage families to follow their children's school, as well as the district's social media channels for the fastest information.

Make-Up Days

District policy mandates a specific number of days each year teachers must work directly with students. When a school falls below this level, make-up days, which will be announced, may need to be scheduled. Check the district's school year calendar for more details.

SchoolMessenger

The district uses the messaging system, SchoolMessenger, to send messages to families. This system is also used for  snow closure and delayed start announcements.

SchoolMessenger distributes messages via email, text messaging, and phone. Please keep your information in JeffcoConnect up to date at all times (and do not unsubscribe or block these emails) to ensure you receive these notifications.

District Social Media Channels

Follow the district's Twitter and Facebook pages in order to receive the fastest information. Turn on notifications for our channels once you have "followed" them.

Local News Media

Listen and watch the news media, particularly local TV stations, for these messages:

"All Jeffco Public Schools are closed"
or
"All Jeffco Mountain Schools are closed"

Mountain Schools are:

• Bergen Meadow Elementary
• Bergen Valley Elementary
• Coal Creek Canyon K-8
• Conifer High School
• Elk Creek Elementary
• Evergreen Middle School
• Evergreen High School
• Marshdale Elementary
• Ralston Elementary
• Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen
• Parmalee Elementary
• West Jefferson Elementary
• West Jefferson Middle School
• Wilmot Elementary

• We encourage all families to follow us on our Facebook and Twitter channels. This is the first place we post information, as it is the easiest and fastest. Also, be sure to bookmark our webpage, as we post emergency notices there as well.
  
  
• Parents should ensure we always have the most current contact information for them and any emergency contacts, through JeffcoConnect. You, or anyone else picking up your child from school during school hours or under special circumstances, will always be asked to present photo ID before the student will be released. Additionally, anyone you wish to have permission to pick up your child must be designated as such in JeffcoConnect; the pick-up box must be checked for all such individuals.
  
  
• In cold weather students should be dressed appropriately. No one can predict when a fire alarm might go off or when buildings might have to be evacuated due to an emergency.
  
  
• All families should make advance arrangements for their children in case of school closures and for the rare situation when it is necessary to close an individual school because of circumstances.
  
  
• Children should know where to go if a parent will not be home and how to contact parents or guardians.