School Closings & Delays

Closing and Notification Procedures

Important notices about closings or delays (ie: inclement weather or safety concerns) will be sent to parents and guardians through the messaging system in Infinite Campus.

• Please be sure that your parent/guardian contact information is accurate and any changes phone numbers and email addresses are correct throughout the year.
• Messages will be sent to all methods selected “Priority” in the parent/guardian Infinite Campus account under "Notification Settings".
• You can choose to receive messages via any/or all inbox, email, voice, and/or text options. For assistance in updating your notifications, please see your school's main office personnel.

Notifications will also be posted on:

• the SDJ Facebook page
• the SDJ website
• WCLO AM 1230 Radio
• the Janesville Gazette, and other local radio and TV stations.

If the closing is weather related, information will be communicated to the public the night before (if possible) or no later than 6:00 a.m. on the day of the closing or delay. There will be no athletic contests and practices on days school is canceled due to weather related reasons. On days when school is in session and weather worsens, the same notifications will be used to make the announcement about after school activities by 2:00 p.m. that day.

Decisions to cancel school are ultimately made by the Superintendent in coordination with the school staff, the Janesville Transit System, the Van Galder Bus Company, a regional meteorologist, and other area Superintendents. These decisions are based on the passage of city streets, safety of rural students, and information from the county highway and city street departments.

NOTE:

1. P4J Programs: If school is closed, Preschool 4 Janesville (P4J) programs located at Adams, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Washington and Wilson elementary schools will also be closed. For one or two-hour delays, Adams, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Washington and Wilson P4J morning programs will be cancelled, but afternoon sessions will take place as regularly scheduled. For Community P4J sites, be sure to contact your site to confirm their plans for closings or delays. 
2. "Snow Days" and "At-home Online Instruction Days": The SDJ school calendar has two days built in to accommodate some weather delays/closures. With the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency in March 2020, the SDJ became a one-to-one district, meaning each student has a device (either an iPad or a Chromebook) that allows them to connect to the internet. With this capacity and capability, the SDJ will allow the first two inclement weather days to be just that – ‘snow days’ on which no school work will be required of students. If at all possible, the Superintendent will make the determination regarding school closing or delay information the night before, or no later than 6:00 a.m. the day of the closing or delay. District staff will send out communication to families via the Campus Messenger System (Infinite Campus) by phone call, email, and text message, and post the information to the SDJ web site, SDJ social media channels, and local media outlets.
   
   With the third and any potential additional inclement weather day during the winter season, the SDJ will pivot to online instruction for students at home. These will be scheduled as such instead of adding additional make-up days to meet state law’s required hours of pupil instruction (http://dpi.wi.gov/cal/days-hours). The Superintendent will make the determination regarding school closing and implementing online instruction the day before in order to allow students and staff to prepare, and to ensure students take their devices (and charging cables) home for use the following day. Again, district staff will send out communication to families via the Campus Messenger System (Infinite Campus) by phone call, email, and text notifying them of this pivot to online instruction due to inclement weather, and post the information to the SDJ web site, SDJ social media channels, and local media outlets.
3. No early closing of school due to approaching winter storms: As a general rule, the SDJ does not close school early due to an approaching winter storm. This is to avoid sending students home to potentially unattended/unsupervised situations. If parents are concerned about an approaching storm, they are welcome to come to school and pull their student(s) out early if they feel it would be appropriate.

Parents/guardians always have the option of keeping their child home due to inclement weather. Please be sure to call your child’s school to report the decision to keep them home. Your child will receive a principal excused absence. The School District of Janesville has a great team that will be clearing sidewalks and parking lots/playgrounds, and keeping the heat on in the buildings as we maintain our promise to prioritize the safety, health, and wellness of our school community.