Hey Raha blog · School life
Snow days and emergency school closings: how to catch the alert and line up backup care
When a storm hits, most US districts announce a closing early in the morning or the evening before, through several channels at once: a mass notification such as ParentSquare (app, email and text), an automated phone call, the district website and social accounts, and local TV. The trick is making sure at least one of those reaches you, and having a backup-care plan ready before the first snow day, not after.
How districts announce a closing
Exact methods vary, but most large districts use a mix of:
- A mass notification system. Many districts use ParentSquare or a similar tool to send one alert as an app notification, email, text message and sometimes a voice call.
- Your student information system. Platforms like PowerSchool and Infinite Campus hold the contact details alerts go to, so an old phone number there means a missed alert. See our school apps decoder.
- District website and social media, usually a banner on the homepage.
- Local news, which lists closings by district.
Not every snow day is a day off. Some districts switch to remote learning instead. New York City's 2026-27 calendar, for example, says that when buildings are closed for weather or other emergencies, schools may be in session remotely. Check your district's policy before winter.
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Try Hey Raha free for 14 daysMake sure you get the alert
Do this once, in the fall:
- Check your contact details in the district's student system: both parents' cell numbers and email addresses.
- Open your ParentSquare (or district app) notification settings and make sure urgent alerts are on for text and push, not only a daily digest.
- Save the district's alert number in your phone so texts aren't filtered as spam.
- Add your sitter or a backup adult where the school allows a secondary contact, or forward alerts to them.
- Know the delay codes. "Two-hour delay" and "early dismissal" are different from "closed," so check what each means at your school.
A backup-care plan for snow days
Write this down before December:
| Question | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Who works from home on a snow day? | |
| Which sitter, nanny or family member can come at short notice? | |
| Which neighbor family will swap with you? | |
| What does remote learning need (laptop, login, schedule)? | |
| What happens on a two-hour delay? | |
| Who picks up on an early dismissal for weather? |
Share it with your partner and your backup people so nobody has to decide at 6 a.m. If a sitter covers a remote-learning day, leave the login details and the class schedule where they can find them.
After the snow
Missed days can come back as makeup days, sometimes taken from a holiday break. Districts announce these by email or ParentSquare weeks later, which is easy to miss. Keep an eye on your winter break dates and the school emails survival guide for a system to catch changes like these.
How Raha pulls the dates into one family plan
Dates like these arrive in a calendar PDF in August, then change in a newsletter, a ParentSquare post or a teacher email weeks later. Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only, picks out the days off, early dismissals and deadlines, and puts them into one family plan for each child. When a date changes, she flags it, and whoever helps with pickup, a partner, grandparent or sitter, can get the same plan.
Try free for 14 daysMarie, founder of Hey Raha
Related guides
- Thanksgiving break 2026: week planner and sitter brief
- Winter break 2026-27 in six big districts
- PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, ParentSquare, ClassDojo and Seesaw decoded
- The US and Canada school emails survival guide
FAQ
How do schools announce snow days?
Most districts send a mass notification by app, email, text and often a phone call, through tools such as ParentSquare, and post on their website, social media and local news.
Why didn't I get the school closing text?
Usually the phone number in the district's student information system is out of date, urgent alerts are off in the app, or the text was filtered. Check all three before winter.
Is a snow day always a day off?
No. Some districts switch to remote learning. New York City's 2026-27 calendar says schools may be in session remotely when buildings close for weather.
What is a backup-care plan for snow days?
A short written plan naming who works from home, which sitter or family member can come at short notice, a neighbor swap, and what remote learning needs.
Do snow days have to be made up?
Often, depending on your state and district. Makeup days are usually announced later by email or the district app and can come out of a break.
Sources
- New York City Public Schools, 2026-2027 School Year Calendar
- ParentSquare, district and school communications by app, email and text
- PowerSchool, student information system
- Infinite Campus, student information system
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