Student Check-out During Severe Weather

In an emergency situation with severe weather, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. The District’s severe weather procedures call for us to limit movement at the campus and secure our outer doors.

As a reminder, when inclement weather hits during the school day, please do not come to the campus to check out your student. It potentially endangers you and your student. We firmly believe that our school building is the safest place for our students, and we have procedures to ensure their safety.

Winter Weather Procedures

Closing or Delaying School

In the event weather that includes frozen precipitation is in the forecast, the decision to open or close schools will be communicated as soon as possible to parents/guardians and staff in several ways.

The final decision to open or close schools will be made by 5:00am.

• This decision will be relayed to all local news media outlets for broadcast.
• Automated phone calls, via the Blackboard Mass Notification System, stating whether schools are to be open or closed will be made as soon as possible to parents and staff for whom the district has current phone numbers. (Please be sure that parent contact information is updated and accurate in Skyward.)
• The information will be posted on the district’s website.
• District Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts will reflect delays and closures in a timely manner.

What are the factors in determining the closing of school or a delayed start due to inclement weather?

Employee and student safety are the focus when deciding school status during winter weather events. Regarding a “delayed” start, we still must start the bus routes approximately two hours before the delayed start time. Once schools are open for the day, classes are held for the entire school day so as to not inconvenience working parents or disrupt the learning environment.

Does it matter what the schools around Grand Prairie are doing?

Not necessarily. GPISD does consult with surrounding districts on the conditions in their jurisdiction. Districts to the west and north generally see frozen precipitation before we do so they could be a gauge to what is coming our way. We will make the best decision based on what is happening and forecast in Grand Prairie.

Who makes the decision?

The Superintendent of schools makes the final decision. However, there are many moving parts to making this decision. The Security and Emergency Preparedness Department confers with many agencies, including local police and fire departments and emergency management, National Weather Service and district personnel who are mobile in the city. If school closing can be decided upon the night before a school day, based on forecast and current conditions, notification will be made to local news media outlets prior to the 10:00 pm news broadcasts. Beginning at or before 2:00 a.m., GPISD security, transportation and maintenance personnel will be mobile in the city, checking known roadways that will be difficult to travel in a bus. The findings will be reported to the Security and Emergency Preparedness Department who will brief the Superintendent of Schools. The findings are reported to the superintendent of schools, who makes the final decision to open or close schools.

What is the procedure if a decision is made during the school day?

In the event inclement weather occurs during a school day, Grand Prairie ISD will communicate with parents in the following ways:

• Blackboard Mass Notification System
• Parent Emails
• Facebook and X (Twitter)
• District and Campus Websites
• Local News and Radio Stations

How is the community notified?

Notices will be posted on the district and campus websites. The City of Grand Prairie Emergency Management Office will be notified. In addition, we use the Blackboard Mass Notification System to notify all staff and students. It is VERY important that the GPISD has your most current contact information (home phone, cell). If you have changed any of these and have not contacted your school or updated them using the online parent portal, you may not receive ISD notifications. We also notify all local television and radio stations in the metroplex.

GPISD Weather Information

When inclement weather occurs, Grand Prairie ISD follows standard procedures to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

For the most reliable updates, check the following district information channels:
District website - www.GPISD.org
X (Twitter) - @grandprairieisd
Facebook - Facebook.com/grandprairieisd
Instagram - @grandprairieisd

TV Stations

FOX - Channel 4 
NBC - Channel 5 
ABC - Channel 8 
CBS - Channel 11
Univision - Channel 23
KDAF - Channel 33 
Telemundo - Channel 39