Hudson Prairie Elementary
Delays & Schools Closings

Hudson Schools Emergency Communication System

Keeping families and staff informed in a timely manner during school emergency situations is a top priority of the Hudson School District. For this reason, the School District uses an emergency notification system. This system allows the School District to call or send messages to your telephone and or email in the event of a school emergency, such as school closings due to inclement weather.

What you need to know about receiving emergency messages or calls:

  • Your phone caller ID will display the School District’s main number 715.377.3700 when an emergency message is delivered.
  • A message will be left on any answering machine or voice mail system.
  • If the message stops playing, press any key 1-9 and the message will replay from the beginning.
  • Make sure your contact information is up to date at your student’s school.

Emergency messages are also placed on the School District website and social media pages, along with area television stations (Channels 4, 5, 9, & 11).

Questions about the emergency message system may be directed to: Tracy Habisch-Ahlin, Communications/Community Services Coordinator 715.377.3795

School Closings Due to Inclement Weather

The decisions made by the Hudson School District to close, delay or release students early from school are made with the safety of students and staff as a high priority. We are very conscious of the impact school closings have on students, families, and schools. We appreciate parents’ understanding in our efforts to get all students to and from school safely.

Below are factors the school district considers in determining whether to close, delay, or release students early from school:

  • Information is gathered on road conditions from Safeway Bus Company, local road crews, and weather forecast services to determine the level of safety. We must give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in our district. Even if your street looks clear, travel elsewhere in the district may be dangerous.
  • The amount of snow and or ice accumulated.
  • Whether the conditions are expected to worsen or improve.
  • Building conditions, such as whether the buildings have electricity, heat, and water.
  • Parking lot and sidewalk conditions; we keep in constant contact with our maintenance and custodial staff.
  • Temperature, extreme cold alerts from the National Weather Service and wind chill. We do not publish a specific temperature or wind chill at which schools will be closed as different sources can report different air temperatures. In most cases, schools can remain open even when air temperatures fall below zero. Adjustments are made at each building site with respect to recess being held outdoors and for what length of time based on wind chill concerns.

The decision to close school is the responsibility of the Superintendent or his designee. This decision is based on the above factors and recommendations from key staff members. We make every effort to make a decision by 6:00 a.m. If a decision is made to keep schools open, we will try to avoid an early dismissal. However, if weather conditions worsen once students are in school and early dismissal is necessary, a decision is generally made by midday. Please pay close attention to the district’s website, district EMERGENCY MESSAGE communication system, and local television stations for updates. It is important to have an emergency back-up plan in place in the event of an unexpected dismissal.

Notifications of closings can be found at:

  • Hudson School District website: www.hudson.k12.wi.us
  • Hudson School District EMERGENCY MESSAGE phone and email system (please make sure your student’s school has your current home phone, cell phone and email information)
  • Local television stations: channels 4, 5, 9, and 11

Please know that regardless of the decisions made by the school district, parents have the right to decide to keep their student(s) home when they feel road conditions in their neighborhood make it too risky to travel to school.

We hope this explanation helps everyone understand the process that the Hudson School District uses to make the best possible decision for everyone involved.