As the threat of snowy and icy weather approaches, staff, parents and students should listen to local radio and television stations to learn of school closures due to bad weather. These include KBZY AM radio, the Statesman Journal website, and all Portland TV stations.

You can also bookmark the following web address, which will list all closure and delay information for our district: http://www.newsbridge.net/Salem-Keizer_Sch_Dist/

Here's how the closure and delay process works:

By 5:15 a.m., District officials make the decision to close or delay the start of all or selected schools. Key staff members and news media are then notified immediately.

If school is delayed by two hours, morning kindergarten will be canceled. In the case of early dismissal due to weather conditions, each school has an emergency plan. Please make sure we have current contact information for parents and guardians.

The media will mention the district only if there is a delay or closure. If you do not hear any information, it’s safe to assume that our schools are open or have resumed their regular schedules.

Snow days makeup policy

The employee associations and the district administration have agreed to automatically make up any school days missed for district-wide closures caused by inclement weather this year. This automatic policy applies to the first three district-wide closures and beyond that is subject to the district’s discretion. Therefore, employees should keep the first three weekdays after the last day of school open on their personal calendars in the event that we need to make days up. Please do not make travel or vacation arrangements for those days.

Advantages to automatic makeup days

1. Families and staff will know immediately whether schools will need to make up days, making it easier to plan vacations and summer activities. In the past, families have had to wait until April or May before making summer plans.
2. Staff will have more certainty about when to report to work and what days they will be paid for. This will reduce or eliminate confusion over time cards.
3. There is no special leave for employees who choose to stay home due to weather when the schools remain open. However, all regular leaves are still available to employees.
4. Late starts and half days will not be made up. Only district-wide, full-day closures will trigger a makeup day.

Where's Emergency Closures and Delays Informaton?

A link to Emergency Closures and Delays information is now on every page of our Web site. It's at the top of each page, under the words Salem-Keizer Public Schools (see picture below).

Click on the Emergency Closures/Delays button and you'll come to the Emergency Closures and Delays page. The page lists radio and television stations that announce Salem-Keizer school closures and delays.

There's a link on the page (shown in the red box pictured below) to Salem-Keizer Public Schools page on Newsbridge.net. This is where you'll find the latest official information about closures and delays on the Web.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools page on Newsbridge.net has a green banner and is pictured below. When schools are operating as normal, there's a message reading "No information reported / Operating as usual."

On days when there are school closures or delays a message giving details will be posted on the Web page pictured below.

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