Kanawha County Schools

Closing/Delay/Dismissal Information  

The decision to close or delay school will be made as early as possible. Announcements will be made via an all call through our Communicate system, on the District webpage (https://kcs.kana.k12.wv.us/), and District social media (https://www.facebook.com/KCSWV/). All closings/delays are listed on the WVDE Closings site (https://wvde.state.wv.us/closings/). The WVDE Closing site offers email notifications and you can also follow them on Twitter. Delay/Closing announcements will also be made on local radio and TV stations.

School Messenger Communicate - Updated Contact Information

Kanawha County Schools will be using our School Messenger Communicate  automated calling system to call staff and parents if school will be delayed or cancelled due to severe weather conditions. When possible, calls are sent the evening before. If not, parents are notified as early as possible the morning of a delay or cancellation. School Messenger Communicate delivers messages via phone and e-mail. 

• If you are a parent and believe that your contact information is incorrect in School Messenger Communicate, please talk to your school secretary to make sure that it is correct in WVEIS.

• If you are an employee and want to change your contact information in School Messenger Communicate, please contact KCS HR’s Diane Tate ([email protected]) to make sure that your information is corrected everywhere. 

Parents or guardians may always exercise their right to keep students home or pick them up early during stormy conditions.

If school is not closed for the day, no announcements will be made and students should report at the normal time. 

When bad weather is predicted, the district has personnel designated to drive through all areas during the evening and/or early morning hours to determine if the roads are passable. Factors for consideration in closing schools include patches of ice on major roadways and bridges, current conditions on roads, weather predictions for later in the day, etc. With 900+ square miles of land in the Kanawha County, it is likely that certain areas may experience ice or snow, but the majority of the district is not experiencing dangerous conditions. Decisions are made by a team of people scanning conditions across the district and taking into account the safety of each and every student.

What time should my child report to his/her bus stop or school during a two-hour delay?

The morning schedule is moved forward two hours during a two-hour delay. If your child is normally picked up by the bus at 7:05 a.m., they will be picked up at 9:05 a.m. If school usually begins at 8 a.m., it will begin at 10 a.m.

Does PreK operate on 2-hour early out days?

Yes. Because PreK is full day and PreK students can ride the school bus, PreK operates on a two-hour delay like everyone else. 

Will students have to make up time missed during two hour delays?

Kanawha County schools have additional instructional time added to their days that can now be used to make up for missed instructional time. This “bankable” instructional time should allow for the district to not have to add on extra days at the end of the year. If additional days need to be added due to excessive missed instructional time, parents will be notified.

What if I have a scheduled training, activity, practice or performance on the day of a delay or cancellation?

Please contact the person that notified you of the event, the coach, the teacher or the leader to find out.