Sometimes when the district closes schools I look outside my house and see only a thin covering of snow on the ground; I could easily take my child to school, but it is closed. Why is my school closed when it doesn’t need to be?
School closure decisions are based on conditions throughout the district. We operate as a system, not as independent schools. Over half of our staff members live outside of district boundaries and need to safely commute to work. Some areas of the district may have much more snow and school buses cannot be driven safely‐ i.e. Beavercreek or Redland areas. 

Schools are open, but with the snow and/or ice on the road it isn’t safe to drive/walk out of my neighborhood. What should I do?
We can’t make this decision for you or your family. You need to determine if it’s safe for you to drive/walk your child to school. We encourage families to make transportation and attendance decisions for their students based on their own assessment of travel conditions at their location.

How does the district work with neighboring districts when making the decision to close?

Clackamas County Superintendents work collaboratively to share information about weather conditions in their communities and discuss how their decisions to delay or close school may affect another district.  Staff and students cross district lines for work, specialized programs and activities; being safe is a priority for all of us. 

Can we shift to online learning when the snow/ice causes cancellations?

Shifting to online learning takes pre planning which includes ensuring students have access to technology, wifi, and understand how to interact with their teachers on online platforms.  Staff also need to have systems and structures in place, such as Google Classroom, to support interactions and teaching.  Typically, teachers are provided time to make this transition on canceled days.  At this time, Oregon City School District does not have this set up as an expectation for staff or students.  Ordinarily we are out of school only a day here and there and do not experience multiple days of closure.  As we move forward, we will be having conversations about how we may be able to set this up in the future.   

What can we do at home to make up for lost learning time? 

There are a lot of great activities that can be done at home to support student learning.  Reading a good book, writing a letter to a family member who is missing the great snow/ice storm, playing board games, engineering snow forts, learning about weather and climate, cooking new foods with measuring cups, playing an instrument, creating art, dancing or making up stories are all great activities for a snowy day! 

Families may also find supplemental resources here: https://www.ocsd62.org/academic-resources