Weather-Related Closings

Wisconsin’s winter weather may cause Falls Schools to decide to cancel, delay, or close schools early when bad weather or other emergency situations occur. Parents and students should have a well-communicated plan in place in the event of school closure or delay so children know where to go and what to do.

When deciding to cancel or delay the school day, our primary concern is student and staff safety. When our local weather authorities begin discussing the possibility of severe weather, SDMF will consult with various sources including area superintendents, Johnson Bus Company, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts, Village of Menomonee Falls administrators, and road reports. Closure decisions are typically made by 5:30 a.m. as weather forecasts often change as a storm or cold weather approaches.

It is our practice that if schools are closed, all after-school activities, including athletic competitions and practices, and CE&Rec activities will be canceled unless otherwise communicated.

Closing or delaying school because of inclement weather involves several factors:

• Weather conditions that are both current and predicted to occur during the coming day
• Road conditions and closures
• The ability of our schools to prepare for students to arrive

If the school district decides to remain open, but as a parent or guardian, you feel the weather conditions are not safe, your child will be excused as long as you notify your child's school. When temperatures do not warrant closing, families can help their children prepare for the cold by dressing them warmly, in layers, with a hat, scarf, gloves, and appropriate footwear.

The School District of Menomonee Falls uses School Messenger to send automated phone calls, text messages and emails to parents and guardians about school-related safety, weather-related closings, reminders and absences. Please make sure your contact information is up to date in Skyward to ensure that you receive important messages.

In the case of a weather-related closing, delay, or early dismissal, the SDMF website will include a pop-up alert on the home page of each school. This is the first and fastest mode of communication. Other communication channels will be updated as quickly as possible including email, text, website, other social media, and news stations.

Falls Schools provides information about closings and delays through the following platforms:

• Posted to the SDMF Twitter and Facebook pages.
• Posted to www.fallsschools.org
• Email and text messages sent to parents using the parent contact information listed in Skyward
• Email sent to employees using the employee's SDMF email address
• Area radio and television stations.

Please know the safety of our students and staff is our priority. We will always make decisions out of caution and, at the same time, communicate with you as early as possible.