Overlake's Inclement Weather Procedures

As the winter storm season is upon us, we have prepared this message to explain Overlake’s procedures during inclement weather and school closures. Deciding to close is based on a variety of factors – current weather, predicted weather, road conditions in and around school as well on the East Side and the recognition that we have many young drivers. 



Below you will find information to help you understand how the school makes the decision to close or open late. 



Options for Delay or Closure:

• The school will either have a late opening or will cancel school.
• A late start opening means classes start at 9:30 am with no zero period classes. A late start usually is our first option as it provides time for the weather conditions to improve.
• School is closed means all classes are canceled as well as any after school sports/team practices and/or competitions.
• If Overlake does close, students can still receive information from teachers via Canvas and therefore should check online throughout the day.
• In the event where school is closed for several days in a row, students will be expected to keep up with their work by communicating with their teachers via Canvas.
• Overlake’s policy on making up missing days takes affect when five or more days have been missed. Days may be made up if the administration decides to have school on days previously listed as days off, or by extending the end of the school year.

How Overlake Makes the Decision to Close or Delay School:

 

• Collecting information - To help make the best possible decision, we gather information that includes online weather information, driving various routes around the East Side to understand the actual road conditions, and communicating with other schools including Lake Washington School District. All of this work occurs early in the morning.

• Analyzing the data - Once we collect all of the information, a team made up of the Head of School, Director of Transportation, Director of Facilities, and the Business Manager review and discuss options which include: 
  • Leave schools open/follow normal schedule
  • Start late
  • Close school 

How Overlake Communicates School Closures/Late Start:

• Our Blackbaud® System notifies all faculty, staff and parents within 30 minutes (of the decision) by phone, text, and/or email.
• Local TV and radio stations will provide timely updates.

Finally, it is important to note that in making the decision to remain open or to close, we recognize that our community comes from a wide area of the East Side and Seattle and weather conditions may vary greatly from area to area. If as a parent/guardian/employee, you feel that it is unsafe to allow your child or yourself to travel to school, then please don’t risk coming to school. Student and employee safety is our highest priority.