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School Closings & Delays

The safety of our students is our primary consideration when making weather decisions. It is our goal to have the students attend school as soon as road conditions safely permit.  

Many steps are taken to assess the weather as it applies to the safety of our students. Numerous weather forecasts are reviewed to accurately assess air temperatures, wind chill, and projected precipitation. Communication is frequently established with our contracted transportation company, PennDOT, local municipalities, as well as superintendents from neighboring school districts. All of this is done before 5:30 a.m. which is the time decisions to delay/cancel school must be made. Conditions within our school district can vary greatly from one township to the next. Many variables factor into the condition of the roads at 5:30 a.m. including temperature, elevation, and the township or borough’s ability to treat the roads. Decisions are made based on the overall road conditions throughout the entire district.

Please know that we will be making the decision with the best information that we have at the time. If it is certain that a weather event will occur, we will make the decision to delay or cancel school the night before so that parents have the opportunity to arrange for childcare services for the next school day. We all know that weather forecasting is not an exact science, but we will do the best that we can to ensure our children’s safety. Weather conditions may make it necessary for the Lower Dauphin School District to utilize a virtual instruction day, close schools, delay the start of school, or dismiss early for the safety of students and staff. No matter what the decision, the district will use a similar process for notifying parents of the weather-related status of their child's school.

 

The Superintendent of Schools is empowered to cancel classes, delay the start of school operations or dismiss students early in the event of an emergency situation. This most commonly occurs during the winter months but parents/guardians should be aware of the possibility of a dismissal due to utility problems or other emergencies as well.
 
In the event of a change in the district's operating schedule, notifications will be made via: 
Parents are urged to keep their emergency contact information updated to ensure they receive the SchoolMessenger broadcast.
 
During an emergency situation impacting the entire school district, your child's school will be closed if reports indicate that the Lower Dauphin School District is closed. Individual school buildings are not generally mentioned. In the event of a morning delay, students are to report to their classrooms based on the delay time broadcast over radio and television stations.

 

Radio & TV Stations
WGAL TV-8  WPMT/FOX 43 TV 
WHP TV-21  ABC TV-27  
 WJTL FM-90.3    

The Lower Dauphin School District has been approved to use up to five (5) Flexible Instructional Days (Also Known as a Virtual Day) during the 2025-2026 school year. These are days to be used for times when the school is forced to close unexpectedly.


When the district designates a day as a Flexible Instructional Day, the students will participate in a fully remote, online program which is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction provided by our certified teaching staff. Please see virtual day schedule.

For more information about signing up for the SchoolMessenger system, please follow this link: /Page/12629 If you have questions about updating your information, please contact your school office. 

Delays

The district has the option to utilize a one- or two-hour delay to the start of schools. The delayed start times are:

  • One-Hour Delay
    • High School: 8:34-2:26
    • Middle School: 8:30-2:37
    • Elementary: 10:00-3:30
  • Two- Hour Delay
    • High School: 9:34-2:26
    • Middle School: 9:30-2:37
    • Elementary: 11:00-3:30

Early Dismissal

Should conditions deteriorate during the school day, the district may need to dismiss early. This decision is not taken lightly and we urge families to have a plan for this possibility. 

Questions

For questions about the district's procedures for winter weather notifications, please contact Evan Brooks, the district's community relations coordinator, at ebrooks@ldsd.org or by calling 717-566-1007 or 717-982-8484

For questions about the Virtual Instruction Day schedule, please contact your student's school office directly.