Handbook Detail Page

The decision to close schools due to inclement weather or bad road conditions is made by the superintendent as early as possible, usually around 5:30 a.m. The district will announce the decision to close schools in a variety of ways to help parents get the information quickly and accurately. These include:

• A large banner on the top of the district’s website home page (tacomaschools.org)
• A post on the district’s Facebook page (facebook.com/tacomaschools)
• A tweet to the district’s Twitter followers (twitter.com/tacomaschools)
• Recorded phone message sent to all households in the district
• An update posted on www.flashalert.net, accessible to the public and monitored by regional media
• A recorded message left on the district information line at 253-571-1000 by 6 a.m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please contact the main office at your child’s school to ensure the school has your most current contact information so you will receive the district’s recorded messages and emails. 

While you will find inclement weather updates most quickly through those methods listed above, you also may see or hear the announcements on most television and radio news stations including:

KIRO (97.3 FM) KOMO Radio (1000 AM) KIRO TV (Ch. 7) KING-TV (Ch. 5) KOMO TV (Ch. 4) KCPQ TV (Ch.13)

If you do not hear "Tacoma School District No. 10" listed in the media reports of closures, schools are operating on a normal schedule.

If you hear an announcement that "schools will operate two hours late, normal bus routes," it means:

• All AM preschools are canceled.
• All PM preschools will continue on their normal schedules.
• All-day preschool will operate two hours late.
• All-day ECEAP will operate two hours late.
• Elementary band, orchestra are canceled.
• No out-of-district transportation.

If you hear an announcement that "schools will operate two hours late, emergency bus routes," it means:

• All AM preschools are canceled.
• All PM preschools will continue on their normal schedules.
• Full-day preschool will operate two hours late.
• Elementary band, orchestra are canceled.
• No out-of-district transportation.
• Emergency bus routes AM, normal bus routes PM.
• Special education students in full-day classes may receive bus service at main street corners and must be met at the stops after school instead of home stops.

If you hear an announcement that "school is closed," it means:

• School is closed.
• All activities are canceled.
• No out-of-district transportation.
• Twelve-month employees generally report to work.

If you hear an announcement that "school is closed, district offices closed," it means:

• School is closed.
• All activities are canceled.
• No out-of-district transportation.
• All district offices are closed.
• School District employees do not report to work.

For additional details on bus transportation during inclement weather, see "Emergency bus route information" in the Transportation section of this handbook.

Page last updated: 06/30/18