School Closures & Delays

Ensuring the safety of the students we transport is our number one priority. Nearly every year we must delay the start of school, cancel outdoor after school activities, or cancel school because of snow, smoke or other poor weather conditions. We encourage you to become familiar with the procedures followed during snow, inclement weather and emergencies.

How will you know if school is delayed or canceled?

If we need to delay or close schools, we'll communicate in multiple ways:

Websites: A message on the district website and all school websites.
Social media: Posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Automated phone calls, emails and texts: Please check the contact information in your ParentVUE account and if you need any updates please contact your school's office. Note these messages may take longer to send than other communications.
News media: Information is sent to TV and radio stations who announce school delays and closures. You can also find that information on FlashAlert.net.

Frequently Asked Questions About School Closures & Delays

How do you decide whether to delay or close schools?

The Tacoma Public Schools inclement weather team considers delaying or closing schools when it is unsafe for students and staff to get to and from school safely. We base the decision on several things, including:

Weather: The National Weather Service provides updates on weather forecasts and possible impacts to road conditions in our area.

Road Conditions: We drive bus routes in different areas across our district. Roads may be clear in some areas of Tacoma, but dangerous in others.

Buildings and Grounds: We consider if our maintenance and custodial staff will have time to clear parking lots, sidewalks, and entrances before students arrive at school.

Regional Status: We look at neighboring school districts, weathers forecasts, and road conditions across our region to get a larger picture of how families and staff may be impacted.

If the start of school is delayed, how do I determine the time of bus pick up?

My student receives special education bus service. Will this change on a snow day?

How should I prepare my student to ride the bus during inclement weather?

When will we have snow make-up days?

Tacoma Public Schools builds snow make-up days into its annual school year calendar. If we lose a school day to snow, we can make up the lost day on one of the pre-planned make-up days. If we do not need to make up school, then the pre-planned make-up days become no-school days.

For the 2022-2023 school year, TPS has two potential snow make-up days built into the calendar:

Friday, February 17 ahead of the President’s Day weekend
Friday, May 26 ahead of the Memorial Day weekend

Should TPS need to make up more than two school days, we have two additional potential snow make-up days added to the end of the school year – June 26 and June 27.

View calendar

What about an option to shift to remote learning when it snows?

What do the different announcements mean?

Two-hour delay with normal bus routes

If we announce a two-hour delay with normal bus routes, it means:

School begins two-hours from the normal start time.
Busses pick up two-hours from normal pick-up times.
No out-of-district transportation.
Morning preschool classes are canceled.
Afternoon preschool classes will continue as normal.
Full day preschool classes will start two hours late.
Elementary band and orchestra are canceled.
Afternoon activities continue as normal.
District offices will open on a two-hour delay.

School and district staff should report to work within two hours of their normal start time. Some work groups, such as maintenance, custodial, nutrition services and security staff, who provide services on site may be requested to come in early. All staff should contact their immediate supervisor with questions or concerns.

Two-hour delay on a late start Wednesday

In the event a two-hour delay is needed on a late start day, school will begin two-hours past the normal start time. This means the late start is canceled and replaced with a two-hour delay.

School begins two-hours from the normal start time.
Busses pick up two-hours from the normal pick-up time.
No out-of-district transportation.
Morning preschool classes are canceled.
Afternoon preschool classes will continue as normal.
Full day preschool classes will start two hours late.
Elementary band and orchestra are canceled.
Afternoon activities continue as normal.
District offices will open on a two-hour delay.

School canceled, district offices open remotely

If we announce school is canceled and district offices are open remotely, it means:

All schools and district buildings are closed.
All activities are canceled, including before and after school.
No out-of-district transportation.
12-month employees work remotely.

All twelve-month school and district employees should work remotely. Some work groups, such as maintenance, custodial, and security staff, who provide services on site may be requested to come in early. All staff should contact their immediate supervisor with questions or concerns.

School canceled, district offices closed

Air Quality

When the air quality in our region is affected by wildfire smoke or other factors, we take steps - such as reducing or canceling outdoor activity - to ensure the health of our students.

We look to the recommendations of Washington State’s Department of Health to determine whether to restrict outdoor activity.

Download Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Air Quality Info Sheet

Where can I find a reliable air quality index?

How will I know whether my child’s school will restrict outdoor activities on a given day?

How is the decision made to restrict activities based on air quality?

How do I let school know my child has a health condition requiring them to stay inside during times of moderate or unhealthy for sensitive groups air quality?

Heat-related Inclement Weather

When temperatures are forecasted to reach an extreme level of heat, we take steps - such as reducing or canceling outdoor activities - to ensure the health of our students.

We look to the National Weather Service HeatRisk Map to make decisions on this topic.