Douglas County School District cancels Thursday classes 'out of an abundance of caution'

DENVER (KDVR) — Students in the Douglas County School District will have a snow day Thursday "out of an abundance of caution," according to the district's social media.

The district said that trying to predict the weather "isn't always easy," and that Wednesday's delayed start was not enough to ensure all roads were cleared for staff and families. The district said snow accumulation was worse than anticipated and subsequently, road conditions were also worse than expected.

"The forecast shows that the snow is going to continue into tomorrow," the district wrote to families and staff members. "This means, we are expecting icy road conditions tomorrow morning, and with the snow expected to continue throughout the day, we don’t believe another delay will be sufficient."

The closure means all preschool, elementary, middle school and high school classes are canceled, as are classes at the Bridge Program, D.C. Oakes, Eagle Academy, eDCSD and Plum Creek Academy.

The BASE Programs are also closed on Thursday, Nov. 7, and all activities, events, sports and facility rentals are canceled as well.

"Our snow team will continue to monitor the storm," district administrators wrote to impacted families. "As always, thank you for your patience with us as we navigate the often unpredictable Colorado weather."

The district noted in a comment reply to a question about how much accumulation causes school cancellations that "the roads are our main concern" on Thursday and said that "in hindsight, we probably should have called it. Sadly no one can find the keys to our Time Machine so here we are."

Roads were slick around the Denver metro area on Wednesday night, causing several crashes in many jurisdictions, many resulting in injuries. The Pinpoint Weather Team's forecast has up-to-date information about the expected inclement weather and Pinpoint Weather Alert Days scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

There are more closures and delays expected and announced around Denver. A full listing of closures and delays can be found here.