Cancellation and Delay Procedure

Weather, infrastructure failures, or area emergencies may necessitate delayed opening or closure of one or more College sites. The following procedure is a framework for the College regarding closure and delay decisions.

Procedure:

The following approach is considered during inclement weather or other emergency situations.  

  • A decision to close for the entire day will be communicated by 6:00am or as emerging conditions warrant.  
  • A decision to delay opening of campus until 10:00am or 5:00pm will be communicated by 6:00am or as conditions warrant.   o Buildings will be unlocked one half-hour before the announced start time o Classes and activities that are scheduled to start before a delay will not meet.
  • A decision to close during the day or evening will be communicated in a timely manner.
  • Students enrolled in county and regional center programming should follow local high school procedures as well as Kirkwood’s closures and delays.  
  • All College employees designated as essential personnel are required to report to work, or remain at work until released by their supervisor.    

• Exceptions to college closure and delays:facilities serving clients or external customers (i.e., Athletics, Corporate Training, The Hotel at Kirkwood, KCETC, etc.) will remain open based on client activities.

Considerations to Close or Delay

The decision to close or delay college operations will be made by senior administrators, based on the following considerations:

  • Discussions with College personnel on site regarding current conditions
  • Impact to campus operations (e.g. amount of snowfall received/forecasted)
  • Road conditions and ability to travel safely 
  • Environmental conditions (i.e., temperature, wind speeds/chill)
  • Considerations of local school districts and other educational institutions

Communications Plan

In order to ensure the campus community is made aware of closure and/or delays, the College will utilize an established communications plan. In many cases, the College will provide continuous updates on weather systems and emerging conditions to allow students and employees to make informed decisions. Additional information regarding the College’s emergency notification procedure can be found in 304.20 Timely Warning and Emergency Notifications. 

  • Announcements of College closings and delays will be communicated through the following outlets:
    • Kirkwood Alert (most accurate and timely communication)
    • Campus e-mail notifications 
    • Talon Announcements 
    • Website & My Hub pop-up notification
    • Social media pages 
    • Local news and radio programming