This is how we decide when to delay or cancel school due to weather

During severe weather events the District sends drivers out early in the morning to evaluate road conditions in the Bend, La Pine and Sunriver areas. We also check on state, county and city road-clearing operations and monitor weather forecasts.

If we decide to delay school start times by two hours, or to close schools for the day, we strive to announce the decision no later than 5:30 a.m. If there is no change in normal operations, we do not make an announcement.

This is how we announce school closures or delayed starts

Here’s where to find announcements of school closures or two-hour delayed start times due to severe weather or hazardous road conditions:

• TEXT MESSAGE: Sign up for BLConnect, our emergency alert text messaging system. Register at this link: bls.fyi/blconnect
• WEBSITES: Visit our District website, bend.k12.or.us, or any of our school websites. An alert banner will be posted to every page.
• SOCIAL MEDIA:
  • Facebook English: @BendLaPineSchools
  • Facebook Spanish: @EscuelasdeBendLaPine
  • Instagram: @BendLaPineSchools
• We notify KTVZ, Central Oregon Daily News, KBND and other local news media of our decisions.

Additional information about weather-related closures and delays is available at bls.fyi/snowday.

How to track bus route changes and delays

Winter weather can cause delays in school buses arriving at stops on time. We have an app, MY BUS STOP, that parents, guardians and students can use to know approximately what time their school bus will arrive at their home stop. The bus location is automatically updated and the estimated arrival recalculated to accommodate delays due to weather conditions, heavy traffic or road work.

Subscribe to receive MY BUS STOP notifications. Visit the Google Play Store (for Android) or the App Store (for iOS), search for "Versatrans My Stop" and select Bend-La Pine Schools when prompted. Learn more at bls.fyi/mystop.