Weather Dismissal Policy

ELDORADO LIGHTNING DISMISSAL PROCEDURE

If lightning is detected within an 8-mile radius of the school, an email, a phone call, and an app notice will be sent to parents as early as possible. The RED Severe Weather flag will be displayed (picture below) to indicate students will not be released until school administrators deem it safe to allow students to leave.

Parents/guardians will be allowed to pick up their child(ren) as soon as the dismissal bell rings at 3:30PM. When you arrive to pick up your child, please enter through the main front door only, and go directly to your child’s classroom to sign your child out. Siblings picking up must be 18 years of age. Relatives or neighbors picking up children must be listed as an Emergency Contact in Infinite Campus and show appropriate I.D. If you need a different adult to be authorized to pick up your child, you must call the main office at (303) 387-6325 and we will communicate that information to the classroom.

If your student(s) has a cell phone, they will be permitted to use the device to touch base with a guardian regarding dismissal/pick-up after 3:30PM.

If your student rides the bus or walks they will remain in the classroom until the “Lightning Dismissal” has been lifted. After 30 minutes, they will transition to the gym and be released once it has been deemed safe for them to leave.

Below is district policy that we follow regarding weather dismissals:

Distance and Danger

The District is following CHSAA’s lightning guidelines, which state that outdoor activities shall be suspended and personnel moved indoors when lightning is within an eight mile radius (as updated by CHSAA). Activities shall remain suspended until the meter or other device indicates there is no longer lightning within an eight mile radius for at least 30 minutes.

Pick Up & Drop Off Rules

Parents/Guardians or other adults over the age of 18, who have been given permission in Infinite Campus, may pick up their children/younger siblings during a lightning delay at their own risk. Siblings under the age of 18 coming to pick up a younger sibling will be asked to stay in the building and will NOT be released. (At times, high school students are able to leave the premises under their own accord, but they will not be allowed to remove younger siblings from a building in the event of lightning delay.)

After Departure from School

• Via Bus School District Transportation will be responsible for making a decision regarding students’ safely departing the bus in accordance with surrounding weather. A district employee will make said decision at the location in question and cannot be required to predict weather at the final destination of the student.

  • Transportation may elect to change the location of a stop during inclement weather and emergency situations. The stop will not vary by a large distance and will only be changed in an event that could pose a danger to the students. The bus is considered a shelter location for students and students may be asked to remain on the bus if the weather threat is imminent.

• Via walking...school will monitor lightning in accordance to the proximity from their building, but cannot guarantee the lightning in relation to all students’ final destinations. Once conditions at the site are considered to be safe, students will be released. Parents are encouraged to communicate with the school in advance of students departing from the school if they need alternate arrangements.

While we realize “Lightning Dismissals” can be inconvenient we take making this decision very seriously and will always err on the side of caution to keep everyone safe.