Heat-related early release for most PSD schools on Monday, Aug. 24

Due to persistent high temperatures in the area, most Poudre School District schools will dismiss students two hours early on Monday, August 24. All schools will start at their normal time, and breakfast and lunch will be served as usual.

Temperatures in our area have been above 90 degrees every day since Thursday, and the National Weather Service forecast calls for that to continue Monday. PSD’s heat protocol calls for consideration of an early release if there are three or more consecutive days with temperatures above 90 degrees. While some other forecasts may show highs below 90 degrees tomorrow; our heat protocol uses National Weather Service data and the HeatRisk Index data for Larimer County, which account for the cumulative effect of several consecutive hot days.

Schools releasing two hours early:

• All elementary schools except the Mountain schools
• All middle schools except Kinard, Timnath and Wellington
• All Early Childhood programs
• Centennial High School
• Polaris Expeditionary Learning School
• Poudre Community Academy

Students who ride the bus home will still do so and will be dropped off at their regular stops two hours earlier than normal.

Afternoon field trips, afternoon Early Childhood sessions and after-school activities are canceled at these schools for the day. Morning Early Childhood sessions will run at their regularly scheduled time, and full-day sessions will dismiss two hours early.

AlphaBEST child care will be available only at Bacon, Beattie, O'Dea, and Bamford elementary schools. Space is limited, and families are encouraged to follow AlphaBEST's registration procedures for early releases and closures. Families are responsible for transporting their students to these sites. Please contact AlphaBEST directly for more information.

Schools continuing normal operations:

• Fort Collins, Fossil Ridge, Poudre and Rocky Mountain High Schools
• Timnath and Wellington Middle-High Schools
• Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School
• Poudre Global Academy
• PSD Career Tech Center
• PSD Transitions programs
• All Mountain schools

High school after-school activities and athletics at these schools will continue, though coaches may modify or move outdoor practices and competitions based on heat and air quality guidance. Middle school after-school activities and athletics are canceled districtwide, including at Kinard, Timnath and Wellington middle-high schools. Concurrent enrollment classes continue as scheduled. Charter schools decide independently whether to release students early.

Why some schools with air conditioning are still releasing early

Most PSD schools do not have air conditioning, or have it only in spaces like computer labs and media centers. Because our elementary and middle school bus routes are interconnected, we cannot release some elementary and middle schools without releasing all of them. That is why some schools with air conditioning are included in this early release.

Funding from the 2024 Debt-Free Mill Levy is helping PSD make progress toward air conditioning our schools, but this process will take time. Two air conditioning systems have already been installed and two more are underway, but with more than 30 schools still needing air conditioning and only about 10 weeks each summer to install it, this work will take several years to complete. We are also continuing to explore options for starting and ending the school year later for elementary and middle schools in the future.

You can find our full heat protocol, including the conditions that trigger these decisions, at Heat and PSD. Questions can be directed to info@psdschools.org or 970-490-3055.

We will continue to monitor National Weather Service forecasts for the rest of the week. If additional early releases or closures are needed, we will notify the community as soon as possible.

Thank you for your flexibility with this schedule change. This decision was made with the health and safety of our students and staff in mind, and we appreciate your understanding.