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Calamity & Snow Days FAQ

Your One-Stop Shop for School Closure Information

Who Makes the Call—and Why It Matters

The superintendent makes the final decision, with recommendations from our transportation and facilities teams. Decisions are based on road conditions, weather forecasts, safety concerns, and the well-being of our students and staff.

Because Pickerington Schools covers a large and geographically diverse area, weather may vary significantly across the district. Even if conditions seem fine in one part, unsafe roads in another may require us to delay or cancel school for everyone. 

Pickerington Schools refers to a school cancellation as a calamity day. During a calamity day, classes across the district or in a specific school(s) may be delayed or cancelled for the day. 

How We Decide on Weather-Related Closures and Delays

We do our best to decide whether to delay, close, or shift to virtual learning by 5:30 a.m. or earlier. This allows us to notify families through the district website, e-communications, and local radio and TV stations.

Sometimes, unusual or changing weather conditions require a later decision. In those cases, we encourage parents and students to monitor:

  • Major local TV and radio stations

  • The Pickerington Schools website

  • Our emergency e-communication alerts

Once a decision is made, we communicate it as quickly as possible.

How Pickerington Schools Announces Delayed Starts and Calamity Days

1. Phone and email alerts

  • Pickerington Schools will announce delayed starts and calamity days through pre-recorded telephone calls to current parent/guardians' telephone numbers on file with the district.
  • The District also sends email messages about any delayed start or calamity day via this website.
  • It is important to keep student contact information and contact preferences current by logging into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal website and updating your contact information.

2. The District's website and social media channels

3. Television and radio stations

Pickerington Schools shares any delayed start and calamity day information with local television and radio stations. However, we recommend that parents and students confirm delay and cancellation information received from media outlets on the district’s social media channels or this website.

Each local television station offers a delayed start and school cancellation text message program that sends delay/closure information directly to your phone. On a delayed start or calamity day, the following local television stations will be notified:

Channel 4/WCMH (NBC)
Channel 6/WSYX (ABC)
Channel 10/WBNS (CBS)
Channel 28/WTTE 


School cancellations, known as “calamity days,” may affect the entire district or specific schools. These decisions are never made lightly and are based on a range of factors that could impact the safety and operations of our schools. Below are some of the most common circumstances that may lead to a delay, or closure.

Hazardous weather conditions

  • Information on road conditions from transportation staff, law enforcement and road crews. The district gives careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in the district. They can be treacherous, even if your street looks clear.
  • Accumulated snow and ice.
  • Temperature and wind chill.
  • Impact on transportation services. School bus diesel fuel begins to gel at temperatures of zero degrees or below.
  • Weather predictions (including those from a weather alert service).
  • Building conditions (e.g., electricity, heat, water)
  • Staff shortage/illness in a specific building(s) or districtwide 
  • Transportation staff shortage: Transportation modifications will be announced along with the other details of each closure/delay.

Other conditions

  • Inoperability of school buses or equipment necessary to the school’s operation.
  • Damage to a school building.
  • Temporary utility failure rendering the building unsuitable for school use.

Due to Pickerington Schools’ large and geographically varied footprint, weather and road conditions can differ widely across the district. While one area may appear unaffected, another could be unsafe for travel. In these cases, we may need to cancel classes or adjust the school day for the entire district to ensure everyone's safety.