Emergency Weather Closures and Delays

While we do our best to make decisions to keep all students and staff safe, conditions may vary throughout the district. Conditions also change quickly. Please take into consideration your personal situation and make the appropriate decision to keep you and your student safe.

• District Transportation staff and administrators check the roads between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. to determine whether it is safe to operate our buses. We also check the conditions, including sidewalks, at our schools. The Issaquah School District covers 110 square miles, including three mountains. Conditions vary widely from area to area and can change considerably as the morning progresses.
• The decision to make a change will be communicated between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m.
• When we have a delayed start, out-of-district transportation and morning programs like ECEAP/ECE Preschool are canceled.
• Conditions can change quickly. We may start with a one-hour delay in the hope that the conditions improve. However, sometimes a one-hour delay is increased to a two-hour delay; or a closure.
• Once the bus drivers are out on their routes in the morning, it is generally too late to communicate a change of start times or bus routes in a safe or effective way. 
• Our preference is always to have schools open and students learning. However, safety is our top priority. We make the best decision we can based on the conditions at the time we must communicate to staff and families.

The final decision on whether or not to send your child to school is yours. If you ever disagree with our decision regarding school delays or closures, please know that it is considered an excused absence if you decide to keep your child home from school. Please inform your school via an email to your attendance line, call to the attendance office, or provide a signed note the day your student returns to school.