Winter Weather Procedures

Please note that if the Yakima School District calls for a delay, buses will also be delayed. Our buses do their best to stay on schedule but will drive slowly and safely. If a route is more than 30 minutes behind, an update will be posted to ParentSquare.  Only four of our bus routes have snow routes as they are on a hill, so be sure to know if your route has a snow route and where you should meet your bus should snow routes be called. Visit YSD7.org/busroutes to find your snow route.

In elementary school buildings, breakfast will be available in the cafeteria for any child wanting to eat. Note: Child nutrition staff does not provide supervision. Breakfast will not be served in the classrooms. However, breakfast will be available until lunch service. In middle school buildings, breakfast will be available to students, as normal, as they enter the buildings. In high school buildings, a second chance breakfast will not be offered.  Students will still be allowed to eat breakfast before the start of classes in the cafeteria.

Time spent outdoors is an important part of the school day. However, there are times when it is not safe for students to be outside. Each school determines their decision based on the following conditions. Note: The decision may vary from grade to grade. 

• Temperature 
• Wind Chill
• Age of Students
• Length of time outdoors
• Adequacy of clothing of the children
• Condition of the playground

When properly clothed, elementary school-aged children can participate in safe, vigorous play in an outdoor environment in most weather conditions. Increased caution should be practiced when temperatures reach below 40 degrees including the wind chill factor. When temperatures and wind chill factors fall below 20 degrees including the wind chill, students are kept indoors.

(ENGLISH) Winter Weather Chart

(SPANISH) Winter Weather Chart

No, there will not be morning classes in a delay.

No, there will not be morning pre-school classes in a delay.

Your supervisor/coach will keep you informed. You can also visit ysd7.org/status.

When winter weather arrives, our team follows a careful and thorough process to determine whether to delay or close school. This includes:

1. Early Morning Assessments – Starting before 4:00 a.m., district staff drive bus routes, check road conditions, and consult weather forecasts.
2. Coordination with Local Officials – We communicate with city and county road crews, emergency management, and other nearby school districts.
3. Evaluating Safety on School Grounds – Our maintenance teams assess sidewalks, parking lots, and building accessibility to ensure safety for students and staff.
4. Bus Route Conditions – We analyze the ability of school buses to operate safely, especially on hills and side roads.
5. Weather Forecasting – We consider whether conditions are expected to improve or worsen during the day.

Based on these factors, the superintendent makes the final decision on whether to delay, close, or proceed with normal operations.

Once the decision is made, the superintendent contacts the communications department, which immediately begins notifying staff, families, media, and the community through ParentSquare, the district website, social media, and local news outlets.

We strive to announce delays and closures by 5:45 a.m. to ensure families and staff have as much notice as possible.