DALLAS, TX – Addie Boland, 10, and Madison Woolley, 6, slide down a snowy hill together at White Rock Lake on a snow day in Dallas, Texas on February 3, 2022. (Photo by Emil Lippe/Getty Images)
DALLAS – Dallas ISD is among several school districts in North Texas to close schools because of the winter weather.
Dallas schools will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 9 and Friday, Jan. 10. Athletics and after-school events are also canceled.
Fort Worth ISD is among the districts who have yet to announce their decisions.
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Snow in Dallas
Dallas weather: Forecast features snow, wintry mix
A Winter Weather Warning has been issued for Thursday in North Texas. FOX 4 meteorologist Dylan Federico walks through tomorrow’s forecast including when we expect the weather to switch from a wintry mix to snow.
Things will be mostly dry with highs in the low 40s on Wednesday. But the forecast calls for a mix of snow, sleet and rain throughout the day on Thursday. Northern areas are more likely to see snow, while southern areas will experience mostly rain.
Then after sunset on Thursday, the wintry mix transitions into snow, with heavier snow anticipated north and northeast of Dallas. Snowfall predictions are 1 to 3 inches in the DFW area, with 3 to 6 inches in the northern and northeastern parts of the Metroplex.
The National Weather Service has upgraded the Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Storm Warning for most of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex through Friday.
MORE: Dallas-Fort Worth Weather Forecast
How schools decide when to close
School closures: When will districts decide?
A wintry mix and snow is expected across North Texas on Thursday. School districts across DFW are watching the forecast, but they say the forecast does not necessarily mean schools will close.
While a handful of school districts, like Dallas ISD, have already announced cancelations, some are still waiting to make a final call.
Many North Texas school district superintendents met with the National Weather Service Wednesday at 1 p.m. for the latest guidance.
School districts are being careful about this decision, knowing that the longer they wait to make the call, the more likely it is to be the right call.
But school districts are also mindful that the sooner they make a decision about if school is canceled, the more time families have to make adjustments for work schedules.
School districts say the biggest consideration is safety. They will make plans to cancel school if they have a firm indication that the road conditions will be dangerous either on the way to school or on the way home from school.
Superintendents know that if the roads are safe, they need to prioritize kids being in the classroom, both from an educational standpoint as well as not hindering parent work schedules.
It’s a difficult balance when the weather is forecast to hit during the school day rather than overnight.
“Safety is the number one factor,” said Dallas ISD Chief Operating Officer David Bates. “Not just students but staff and even our central employees who have to come in and battle the elements. We look at all of those things.”
“We need our students in class. We need them in school where we know that they are learning and growing,” said Richardson ISD Superintendent Tabitha Branum. “However, when we know that there is a potential for bad weather, safety has to be a consideration. We want to ensure that our students and our staff and our community and our families are safe getting to and from school.”
Some school districts are waiting until Thursday to make a decision about school on Friday.
