Inclement Weather

How to Learn of School Cancellations or Schedule Adjustments

During winter and inclement weather, families are encouraged to stay connected with the district in several ways to learn of school cancellations or schedule adjustments.

When the chance of severe or inclement weather looms, we will only post cancellations for school, athletic events, and other activities. We will NOT post when school, athletic events, and activities are proceeding as scheduled.

If school is canceled or a schedule adjustment is made due to inclement weather, the information will be published in these ways:

Notification to guardians and staff via text, email, and possibly a voice call with information on file in Skyward
District website — www.GreatBendSchools.net
Facebook — go to "USD 428"
Local television and radio stations

Any parent in the district's system who has included a cell phone number (and opted in to receive text messages) will receive a text message in the event of school cancellation. If there has been a change in a parent's phone number or email address since enrollment, please notify the child's school.

Inclement Weather FAQs

What is the best way to stay up to date on school closings?

We encourage our school communities to be aware of potential inclement weather. To best serve our community in regard to closings or delays, we also encourage our patrons to check our website (www.GreatBendSchools.net) and follow our social media platforms for the most current information. We will post updates only if there is a closing. Additionally, parents in the district will receive an email and text message in the event of a school closing - please contact your child's school to update personal contact information in your Skyward account

If there is a cancellation, what time of day does the district make that call?

Will we be notified if school is not canceled?

What is the amount of snow or temperature at which school will be canceled?

There is no “magic number.” A variety of factors are taken into consideration when deciding whether to cancel school, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, wind chill, road and sidewalk conditions, etc. All conditions and variables are closely monitored by district leadership. Many times, officials will work through the night monitoring the conditions. The safety of our students and staff is our first priority.

Why is school sometimes canceled the night before and other times during the early morning hours?

Each situation is unique when dealing with the weather. District leadership closely monitors all conditions, often through the evening and early morning hours. All factors are taken into account. Because we do not operate bus routes, there are situations in which neighboring schools may cancel while we remain open. Great Bend USD 428 takes cancellations very seriously.

2-Hour Delay Details

When weather conditions require additional time to ensure safe arrival at school, USD 428 may implement a 2-hour delay.

The USD 428 District Office and Support Services (Food Service, Maintenance, and Grounds) will follow their normal hours of operation.

How Families Will Be Notified

USD 428 will share delay announcements through:

Phone, text, and email alerts (delivered based on guardian preferences)
District website and social media
Local media outlets

What a 2-Hour Delay Means for Families

School Start Times

Elementary schools will begin at 10:00 a.m.
Great Bend Middle School will begin at 10:05 a.m.
Great Bend High School will begin at 10:05 a.m.

Preschool

There is no morning/AM preschool session on a 2-hour delay day.
All-day preschool classrooms will follow the delayed start time.
Afternoon preschool sessions will operate at their normal times.

Meals

Breakfast is not served on 2-hour delay days.
Lunch will be served as scheduled.

Dismissal

Schools will dismiss at their normal times unless otherwise announced.

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section