Inclement Weather Information
7 months ago
ALL Weather-Related Closures are announced on our homepage: www.laramie1.org
Inclement Weather Boundaries Map
Please CLICK HERE to download and/or print a map showing LCSD1 Area 1 (Rural) and Area 2 (Urban) inclement weather boundaries.
Emergency and inclement weather procedures
LCSD1’s mass-notification system allows the district to quickly send voice, email and text messages as selected by the parents/guardians. This system will be used in case of emergency and inclement weather situations. For example, the system will notify parents of late starts, early releases and emergency closures due to weather or a crisis situation. School is canceled only during unusual circumstances such as extreme weather, facilities or equipment failure, an environmental hazard or a public crisis that causes a significant safety risk.
Do not call the school! LCSD1’s mass-notification system, along with all local radio and TV stations, will provide the most current information to parents and the community on weather or emergency situations. It is imperative that all district lines are open for vital communications.
Emergency Closure Forms are included as part of your student’s electronic registration process. Changes to the information should be submitted promptly to your child(ren)’s school office(s). Up-to-date information is vital in the event of an emergency closure. Please discuss with your child(ren) the process to follow in case of early dismissal.
If weather conditions prevent making a decision regarding school closure by 5:30 a.m., a two-hour delay may be initiated to allow time for a final determination. All morning bus stop times will run 2 hours later than the normal scheduled time if weather conditions improve and school is in session. Afternoon routes will run as normal.
Two-hour delays are effective for all schools and all students. If school will not be held after the two-hour delay, an announcement will be sent through LCSD1’s mass-notification system and the media.
Emergency Closing/Early Release
Whenever possible, school closure announcements will be made the evening before via the mass-notification system and on all 10 p.m. TV and radio broadcasts. If it is not possible, an announcement will be made by 5:30 a.m.
If school is closed during the day due to a snowstorm, it is determined that all students have satisfactory transportation. Parent instructions from each student’s emergency closure form are followed.
Snow Boundaries
Sometimes the weather can be worse in various parts of the city and outlying areas. When this happens, LCSD1 will run buses in one area but not another. When this occurs a weather boundary will be called under the following conditions:
• If it is unsafe to run buses in a rural area. Buses that normally run in the area would not run beyond the designated boundary for both morning and afternoon routes.
• If weather conditions in rural areas warrant a busing cancellation, the mass-notification system will not be used to inform the community. Rather, affected students will be notified via the Stopfinder app. Parents are encouraged to download Stopfinder and may also tune into local media or check the district website (www.laramie1.org) for cancellations. The only time mass-notification will be used is in the event there is a district-wide school closure.
• LCSD1 does not bus outside the boundary described on the school district’s website (http://www.laramie1.org/maps-9f0420cf/school-maps-and-boundaries-e0167d7e) during hazardous weather, even when school is in session. Parents living outside of the boundary area who decide to take their children to school during these conditions may be responsible for picking up their children in the afternoon. In the event conditions should improve enough for safe bus operations, parents will be notified via Stop Finder. (See Inclement Weather Boundaries on Page 27.)
Inclement Weather Boundaries
Area 1 (rural) shall incorporate the area generally west and north of the following described line:
North on I-25 from the Colorado border to F.E. Warren A.F.B., west, north and east around the base to Buffalo Ave., north to Horse Creek Rd., east to I-25, north to US 85, northeast along US 85 to Morningstar Rd., southeast following the Northstar Subdivision to Crazy Horse Rd., east to Tonto Rd., north approx. 2 miles and east approx. 7 miles to the District border, and North on I-25 from the Colorado border to an extension of Speedway Dr., east to an extension of Whitney Rd., north to E. Pershing Blvd., east to Tate Rd., east along Tate Rd. to Christensen Rd., north to E. Pershing Blvd., west along E. Pershing Blvd. to an extension of the east edge of the Saddle Ridge subdivision, north and west along following the Saddle Ridge subdivision to US 30, west along US 30 to Whitney Rd., north to Four Mile Rd., west to Converse Ave.,north to Crazy Horse Rd., east to Tonto Rd., north approx. 2 miles and east approx. 7 miles to the District border.
Area 2 is the remaining “urban” area of LCSD1.
In the event District officials initiate inclement weather procedure for area 1 rural, LCSD1 buses will continue to run within area 2. This area has been determined based on the District’s experience of safely maneuvering large, multi-passenger, 2-wheel-drive buses over public streets to safely transport our students to and from their destinations.
PLEASE NOTE: Parents living outside of the boundary area who decide to take their child(ren) to school during these conditions will be responsible for picking up their child(ren) in the afternoon. Regardless of weather conditions, if a bus does not run in the morning it will not run in the afternoon.
Rural Snow Routes
During inclement weather, less traveled roads across the county are lower priority for snow removal and are often impassable for buses. However, main roads often remain passable because of their higher maintenance priority. In the event district-wide inclement weather boundaries are not called, and some rural areas are passable, we have developed a ‘snow route’ for each of our rural routes. When buses are unable to negotiate the less traveled roads, but main roads are still passable, we will implement the ‘snow route’ with stops on nearby main roads only. When a ‘snow route’ is activated, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to get their students to/from the ‘snow route’ stops (If a ‘snow route’ is activated, it will remain in effect for the entire day). The location of the stops on snow routes can be found on the LCSD1 Transportation website under Infofinder. Parents/guardians and students will be notified through the Stopfinder and Shoutpoint applications when the ‘snow route’ is activated. If the inclement weather is a multi-day event or road conditions continue to prevent buses from using less traveled roads, messaging will be sent every day until we are able to return to normal route operations. If you do not have the Stopfinder application or have not received an activation email to configure the application, please contact our Dispatch Office at (307) 771-2628.