Inclement Weather Policy

Unit 5 Winter Weather Procedure

Any decision to close schools or delay the start of a school day due to weather conditions will be made after careful consideration of the following factors:

1. Road conditions, especially in rural areas of the district;
2. Precipitation (snow, sleet, freezing rain);
3. Temperature;
4. Wind chill; and
5. Predicted changes in the weather conditions.

Student and staff safety is the ultimate factor when deciding if school should be cancelled. The decision-making process begins just after midnight with monitoring of the forecast, calls to law enforcement for information on road conditions, and consultation with other area school districts. Also, district officials physically drive throughout McLean County in the early morning hours to inspect bus routes. Every attempt will be made to make the decision to close school by 5:30 a.m., at the latest.

As soon as a decision is made, the information will appear immediately on the Unit 5 Web site. That is the fastest way to learn about a school closure. It will also be featured through local media outlets, including radio and television. A School Reach message will be sent as soon as a decision is made. Please understand that School Reach places more than 15,000 calls and it may take up to an hour for these calls to be completed, therefore the Web site and other forms of media may be the quickest source of information.