Lake Dallas Independent School District - A TEA Recognized District

Inclement Weather Information - May 21, 2013

Dear LDISD Parents:

Due to today's weather forecast that indicates strong storms and possible tornado activity, we would like to share our emergency weather procedures. In the event a tornado warning or a tornado occurs during school hours, your child's campus will implement shelter and place procedures to ensure your child's safety. All students, faculty and staff will take shelter. Therefore, we will not allow any visitors into the building and will not be able to answer any phone calls or emails until the storm has passed. Please take appropriate shelter in your home or place of business in the event a tornado warning or tornado occurs. Stay tuned to your local news and forecast for updated weather information. Once the storm has passed, shelter and place procedures will be lifted and parents may pick up their children at that time.

Thank you,

Lake Dallas ISD

Inclement Weather Procedures

Occasionally in Texas, we are apt to have a school day when the weather is inclement. During extreme weather conditions, Lake Dallas ISD continues to keep the safety and welfare of our students and staff of most importance. District administrative staff continuously monitors weather conditions and forecasts. Contingency plans have been prepared well in advance to address any possible adverse conditions that may result due to the inclement weather. The district's staff works diligently to provide safe, positive and comfortable learning and working environments by taking the following measures:

To determine school closings, district administrative staff will monitor weather conditions throughout the day or night. If conditions are questionable during the early morning hours, staff will travel roads to inspect the actual conditions. Normally, a decision to cancel school will be made prior to 5:30 a.m., so school closures can be communicated to the media, staff, parents and students. Sometimes it is difficult to cancel school if adverse conditions do not exist prior to 5:30 a.m. For this reason, staff will use weather radar data accessed from the Internet to determine if deteriorating weather conditions are on the way.
To avoid disruption in the structure of the school's instructional calendar, the district may determine that roads will be passable later in the morning as the temperature rises. When this situation occurs, the district may announce a two-hour delay to the start of the school day. All bus routes and start times to your student's campus will run two-hours later than normal.
To keep buses operating and comfortable, Lake Dallas transportation mechanics and drivers will arrive early to ensure buses start properly and are warm prior to picking up students.
To help ensure continued safety and comfort of our students and staff, the district's maintenance staff is on alert to respond to calls related to the weather.
To ensure that buildings do not have damage after inclement weather, the maintenance staff will do a scheduled walk through the building the following weekend. By monitoring the buildings the staff is able to rapidly respond to any damage and make immediate repairs to ensure that any possible damage does not have a negative impact on instruction delivery or jeopardize the safety of our students and staff.

Students' safety is our most important concern. The normal procedure in the district is not to close schools early once students are in attendance. District officials will continuously monitor weather conditions. If weather conditions make it necessary for LDISD to close schools, parents and students are advised to listen to the radio or television for a current news report. No announcement will be made when schools are to remain open.

You may access school closing information through: