Closings & Delays

Alternative Transportation Plan Days

If the district is experiencing a shortage of drivers and unable to run regularly-scheduled routes, we will issue an "Alternative Transportation Plan" Day. When issued, the following schedule will be in place for BUS RIDERS ONLY. All non-bussed students will follow the normal daily schedule.

Scheduled eLearning Days

Please mark your calendars! The following are planned/scheduled eLearning days for all ECS students:

• September 26, 2023
• October 25, 2023
• December 7, 2023
• February 1, 2024
• March 6, 2024; *SAT School Day participants are expected to come to school in-person for testing
• April 16, 2023

Students will not attend school in person on scheduled eLearning days. Teachers will assign work and communicate classroom expectations via digital learning platforms, including Canvas, Seesaw, and/or district email. The following are district policies related to eLearning Days.

Requirements for E-Learning (English)

Requirements for E-Learning (SpanisH)

Make-up Day for Closures

Students are required by law to attend 180 days of school, per the Indiana Department of Education. When the decision to close school is made, the school day must be made up using a previously scheduled “make-up day” or added to the end of the school year. The State Board of Education has allowed Elkhart Community Schools to have the 6 eLearning days above, but state law limits us to only 3 other days beyond those. When possible, Elkhart Community Schools will use an “eLearning day” to make up a missed day of school. In the event an eLearning day cannot be utilized for a closure during the school year or the district goes beyond 3 eLearning days due to weather, school will be in session on May 26, 2023.

• June 3, 2024

An updated school year calendar can be found here: https://docs.elkhart.k12.in.us/downloads/School_Calendar.pdf

KidsCare programs: In the case of a two-hour school delay, KidsCare will open at its normal time. In the case of a school closing, KidsCare will be closed. If a delay becomes a closing, KidsCare will close as quickly as possible and parents are expected to pick their children up as soon as possible.

If there is a 2-hour delay at Elkhart Community Schools, AM classes at the Elkhart Academy will have an adjusted schedule. PM classes will proceed as normally scheduled.

If Elkhart Community Schools is closed, all Elkhart Academy classes will be cancelled.

If there is a 2-hour delay at Elkhart Community Schools, there will be no AM classes at the Elkhart Area Career Center for sending schools other than Elkhart High School. Elkhart High School students should report two hours later than their usual start time. PM classes will proceed as normally scheduled.

If Elkhart Community Schools is closed, all EACC classes will be cancelled.

• FOR 2-HOUR DELAYS ON MONDAYS ONLY: When Elkhart Community Schools calls a 2-hour delay on a Monday, students at any of our secondary schools (North Side, Pierre Moran, West Side, Elkhart High School: Freshman Division & Elkhart High School: Main Campus) will begin school at an adjusted time of 10:35am. Buses will run approximately 40 minutes later than their normal Monday pick-up time, but may be slightly later due to conditions. The daily schedule will follow a normal two-hour delay schedule rather than the normal Monday schedule.

The following guidelines have been set by Head Start. These apply to Head Start programs housed at Elkhart Community Schools locations:

• For full-day programs: if there is a 2-hour delay, Head Start programs will also be delayed two hours.
• For half-day programs: if there is a 2-hour delay, Head Start AM programs will be cancelled. Head Start PM programs will proceed as normally scheduled.
• If Elkhart Community Schools is closed, Head Start AM and Head Start PM programs will be cancelled.
• Please contact Head Start for programs housed in locations other than Elkhart Community Schools.

Delays

• If there is a 2-hour delay, PACE AM programs will be cancelled.
• If there is a 2-hour delay, PACE PM programs will proceed as normally scheduled.
• If there is a 2-hour delay on a Friday, all PACE and Title I programs will cancel for the entire day.

Closings

• If there is a school closing, all PACE programs will be cancelled.

If there is a 2-hour delay, there will be no sixth grade music (band/orchestra) classes. Students should report directly to their elementary school when it opens.