School Cancellation Process

The mission of the Fargo Public Schools is to educate and empower all students to succeed. Each day in the school year is essential to carry out this mission and provide instruction to our students. Fargo Public Schools makes every effort to keep schools open each day. Our first choice will always be to remain open, but at times the weather conditions within the city merit a school closing.

Making a School Cancellation Decision

Fargo Public Schools maintains close communication with local and national weather agencies, local government, and neighboring school districts in order to make decisions regarding inclement weather and other emergency situations that are in the best interest of the safety of our students, staff and parents. The decision to hold classes is based on the general weather conditions which exist for the majority of Fargo students.

Each weather event is looked at individually with multiple sources of information consulted before making the final decision on whether or not to hold school due to inclement weather. The decision to keep schools open or to close them results for weighing factors including excessive snow, temperature or wind chill numbers, wind speeds, road conditions, and the safety of bussing students.

The decision to close school will be made and communicated in as timely of a manner as possible. Closing our schools has a tremendous impact on our parents and community. We strive to make the decision if needed with enough time for parents to make arrangements for supervision of their children. However, at times, a decision the morning of a school day may need to be made to see what weather materializes overnight; if a decision is made in the morning, the decision will be made by 6:00 a.m.

Parents, please keep the following in mind:

If school is in session, and a parent decides that a student should remain at home due to weather conditions, that decision will be respected by the school. Parents should use their own judgment in determining if the weather is suitable for their children to make the journey to school. It is always up to parents to make the final decision about whether or not to send their student to school if they believe weather conditions present a safety issue. The absence for the day would be considered an excused absence.

If school is called off, parents will be contacted via the automated phone, email and text system based on the contact information supplied to the school office(s). Parents are encouraged to update contact information with the school on a regular basis so we have up-to-date contact information. This can be done through PowerSchool or by calling the school office. School cancellation information will also be broadcasted via local media, and will be posted across our website and social media sites (Facebook, X, and Instagram).

If weather or a situation develops during the day, and it is determined that an early dismissal is in the best interest of the students, parents will be contacted via the automated phone, email and text system based on the contact information supplied to the school office(s). Parents are encouraged to update contact information with the school on a regular basis so we have up-to-date contact information. This can be done through PowerSchool or by calling the school office. School closure information will also be broadcasted via local media, and the information will be posted on our website and social media sites (Facebook, X, and Instagram).

In our elementary schools, principals will proceed with an orderly dismissal consistent with the instructions provided by parents on the Plan for School Closing Due to Weather or emergency form filled out at the beginning of the year.

Procedures for School Cancellation, Early Release, Late Start or Remote Learning

Cancellation

When school is canceled due to weather, the following occurs:

All schools are closed
The Early Childhood Special Education preschool program is canceled
Before and after school programs are canceled
All Adult Learning Center classes are canceled
All daytime programs are canceled including before and after school programming
All after school or evening co-curricular/athletic activities, including practices and games, and facility rentals are canceled

Early Release

If weather develops during the school day that merits an early dismissal, the following occurs:

All schools are closed
If school is canceled prior to 11:00 a.m., there will be no afternoon Early Childhood Special Education preschool
Elementary schools will proceed with dismissal procedures according to the plan provided by parents at the beginning of the school year
The Early Childhood Special Education preschool program will proceed with dismissal procedures according to the plan provided by parents at the beginning of the school year
For after school care, the sponsoring organization will notify parents if care will be available
All after school or evening co-curricular/athletic activities, including practices and games, are canceled
For evening community rentals of school facilities, individuals should check with sponsoring organizations regarding possible cancelations

Late Start

If the start of school is delayed by two hours, the following occurs:

Schools start exactly two hours later than the usual time. Middle school students should consult their school website for additional information regarding the period schedule. High school students should consult their school handbook for additional information regarding the period schedule. Students should not arrive to their school until the scheduled late start time as supervision will not be available.
Buses will run two hours later than usual. (example: Usual pick up at 7:35 a.m. will occur at 9:35 a.m.)
There will be no morning student co-curricular activities
There will be no before school childcare; afternoon services will be offered
No morning classes at Dakota High School will be held; afternoon classes at Dakota High School will be held as usual
No morning Early Childhood Special Education preschool programming will be held; the afternoon programming will be held as usual
No morning classes for the Adult Learning Center at Agassiz will be held; afternoon classes will be held as usual
The Educational Day Program and Project InVEST at Agassiz will start two hours late
A grab-n-go breakfast will be available at all buildings for students. Lunch options will be available 45 minutes prior to the start of afternoon class at Dakota High School
Staff members should consult their email or the Employee Portal for additional information on when they should report to work

Remote Learning

When schools are closed due to weather but classes are held via remote instruction, the following occurs:

Staff and students transition to remote learning. Students will not come to school for classes but will remain at home and join their classes virtually. Teachers will work from home and instruction will occur virtually.
The remote learning schedule is available at this link.
All schools are closed
Before and after school programs are canceled
All daytime programs are canceled including before and after school programming
All after school or evening co-curricular/athletic activities, including practices and games, and facility rentals are canceled

Parent Tips

Keep your contact information updated with your school. It is imperative that your child’s school has up-to-date contact information on file with which to contact you. Please be sure to have your current phone and email address on file with your school. Updates can be made by logging into your PowerSchool account or contacting your school office.
Stay connected during potential weather events. Weather related announcements will be shared through our mass calling system, shared with our local media outlets, and posted on our website and social media sites (Facebook, X, and Instagram). If there is not an announcement through these means, school is scheduled as normal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make a weather-related cancellation decision?
Fargo Public Schools administrators review each weather related event individually when making a school cancelation decision. The District maintains close communication with officials of the U.S. Weather Service, local government, and neighboring school districts while making the decision to remain open or closed. In the end, each school district in our area makes their own independent school closure decision. The decision to hold classes is based on the general weather conditions which exist for the majority of Fargo students.

When and how will parents be notified of a weather-related school cancellation?
The decision to close school will be made and communicated in as timely of a manner as possible. Closing our schools has a tremendous impact on our parents and community and we aim to communicate closures to parents as quickly as possible. If a closure decision is made, it will be communicated through the following means:

Through the automated phone, email and text system based on the contact information supplied to the school office(s)
Through a media release to our local media outlets
Through postings on website, including all school pages
Through postings on Facebook, X, and Instagram

Why don’t the large school districts in this area always make the same weather related decision?
Fargo Public Schools consults with West Fargo Public Schools and Moorhead Area Public Schools during weather related events. Each district has its own unique features and bussing situations. While we are all located in one close geographic area, weather can impact each district differently. Therefore, each school district in our area makes their own independent weather related decision.

If there is a “no travel advisory” in North Dakota, why is school still held sometimes?
At times, the area may have a “no travel advisory” in place during a winter weather event. Many times, that is an advisory for travelers outside of the city limits. Fargo Public Schools has very limited rural bus routes and our buses do not use the interstates for travel purposes for our regular routes. The decision to hold classes is based on the general weather conditions which exist for the majority of Fargo students. If the City of Fargo issues a no travel advisory for inside the city limits, the school district will most likely close schools.