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Weather Information for District Staff

Notice of Delay or Closure

When conditions warrant a delayed start or closure, district administration makes every effort to announce the delay or closure as early as possible. Each employee is responsible to stay informed about the status of district operations, including delays or closures. The Communications Department will use multiple channels to inform employees and the community about delays and closures.

This information will be distributed through Facebook and local media. The D49.org webpage will also display a pop-up weather alert indicating whether the district is under a delay or closure. Additionally, an all-staff email will be sent to every district email account and employees who have their cell phone number entered as their primary point of contact in Employee Access will receive a text message. Employees should ensure personal information in their Employee Access within Skyward, including cell phone numbers, is current.

D49 Weather Information Page

Snow Day Pay

When a delay or closure is declared due to inclement weather, the district’s practice is to make each employee’s pay whole using a “snow day” pay code. All employees who are scheduled to work on the day on which a delay or closure occurs are eligible for snow day pay. Part-time employees remain eligible for snow day pay.

The procedures related to snow day pay are as follows:  

  • In the event of a closure, employees will be paid according to their regular schedule for that day. Employees will not receive more than their regularly scheduled hours for a closure due to weather, except as noted for essential personnel.  
  • In the event of a delay, employees will be paid for the amount of time of the delay. For example, if a two-hour delay is called, the employee will be paid for two hours and is expected to report to work two hours later than their normal start time.
  • Only essential personnel are expected to report to work during a weather-related delay or closure.
  • If an employee not designated as essential personnel reports to work and then learns that the district has made the decision to close for the day, that employee should stop working, clock out, and leave the premises, but only when weather conditions allow for safe travel. The employee will be paid for the time for which work was performed. The snow day pay will be adjusted to make the employee’s pay for the day whole. However, if an employee chooses to stay and work during the closure, the employee will be paid for the time for which work was performed. The employee forfeits the snow day pay for the closure. The employee will not receive additional compensation.
  • Snow day pay paid for a delay or closure will not count as regular hours toward an overtime calculation.
  • If an employee has pre-approved time off scheduled for a day the district declares a closure (does not apply to delays), the vacation, personal, or sick leave will not be charged to the employee. Instead, the employee will The Best Choice to Learn, Work and Lead receive the benefit of the snow day pay and will be paid according to their regular schedule for that day. If an employee has time off scheduled and the district declares a delay (not a closure), the employee will not receive snow day pay for the delay.
  • If an employee is on an approved leave of absence for a day that the district declares a closure (does not apply to delays), the use of vacation, personal, or sick leave will be removed and the employee will receive snow day pay. Employees on a leave of absence who do not have vacation, personal, or sick leave available will continue to remain unpaid for the day and will not receive snow day pay.

Essential Personnel

To help ensure safe and efficient operation of the school system, district administration established an “essential personnel” designation for certain positions. Generally speaking, the essential personnel designation applies to building managers, custodians, and positions in the facilities, maintenance, and transportation departments.

Staff designated as essential personnel may be required to report for work on district snow day closures and during delayed starts. Essential personnel who report as required for a delayed start or closure will receive pay for the delay or closure and pay for time actually worked during the delay or closure. District 49 makes decisions to preserve student and adult safety during inclement weather.

District 49 leaders implement a comprehensive process to monitor local conditions and decide weather delays or closure. However, every employee retains the ability to decide when it's unsafe to report to work. An employee will only receive snow day pay when the district officially declares a snow day delay or closure. Employees are responsible for allowing enough time to report to work on time during inclement weather, be aware of the road conditions and plan accordingly.

Questions about these procedures should be directed to the payroll or human resources department.