Weather Procedures at DPS

Dickinson Public Schools maintains close communication with officials of the US Weather Service, local government, and neighboring school districts to make decisions regarding inclement weather and other emergency situations that are in the best interest of the safety of our students, staff, and parents. 

The decision to have or not have school due to inclement weather will be based on the safety of the students attending the district’s schools and on the best information available at the time the decision must be made. Parents may choose to pick up their children at school or not send them to school anytime they feel that the weather threatens their child’s safety.

In deciding whether children will be safe, the district looks at the following factors:

  • Visibility and current/expected wind conditions
  • Road conditions (current, anticipated, and the status of city and county road crews) for buses, families, and district staff that need to be on the roads
  • Travel advisories issued by the city, county, and the North Dakota Department of Transportation
  • The time precipitation starts and the current/expected amount
  • Expected duration of the storm
  • Alert level from the US National Weather Service
  • Temperature and wind-chill

The decision to close school will be made and communicated as timely as possible. Closing our schools has a tremendous impact on our parents and community. We strive to make the decision if needed with enough time for parents to make arrangements for the supervision of their children. However, at times, a decision on the morning of a school day may need to be made to see what weather materializes overnight; the goal is to make the decision by 6:00 a.m. the day of school.

All storm announcements relating to Dickinson Public Schools will be reported to local television stations and communicated to parents and guardians via the automated phone, email, and text system based on the contact information supplied to the school office(s). Parents are encouraged to update their contact information with the school regularly to have up-to-date contact information. This can be done through PowerSchool or by calling the school office. School closure information will also be broadcast via local media and posted on our website and social media sites (Facebook and Instagram).