1. Seattle Colleges home page
  2. About Seattle Colleges
  3. Safety and Security
  4. Campus Closure

Campus Closure

We care about your safety when you are on any of the campuses of Seattle Colleges, and we work to keep students, employees, and the general public informed about any situations that may affect our facilities or operations. Especially during winter months, the possibilities increase that inclement weather may affect travel to one or more of our college campuses and training centers. Closures may also result from power outages, natural disasters, or other unexpected circumstances. We encourage you to review the following closure procedures.
 

Normal Operations

Our colleges remain open and classes and activities are held as usual unless there is an announcement indicating they are closed or delayed. In the event of inclement weather, power outages, natural disasters, or other unexpected circumstances, North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, and South Seattle College may close or have a late start (delayed starting time).  

College closure means the college will be closed, and only specifically notified employees will need to report to work. For students and community members, a closure or late start may impact the availability of college services and result in cancellation of some or all classes.

To find out if your college is closed and classes or activities have been cancelled, please refer to the Official Closure Announcement Channels section below.
 

Closure, Late Start, or Other Emergency Alert Notification 

In case of a weather-related closure or other emergency, our SeattleCollegesAlerts System (aka Rave Alerts) is the primary and official notification system used by Seattle Colleges across the district to notify students, faculty, and staff. Alerts are automatically sent to student and employee Seattle Colleges email accounts; everyone is encouraged to sign up to receive mobile text and voice alerts as well. Refer to the “Official Closure Announcement Channels” section below for additional announcement channels.

Announcements are not generally made if campuses are open. However, an exception may be made after several days of closures or delays to help clarify. Once an announcement is made to close for the day, a college or campus will not reopen later that same day.
 

Regarding Late Start 

Sometimes, a decision is made to delay opening a college or campus. The intent of a late start is to keep students and employees off the roads until conditions improve.  

For example, if classes are delayed until 10 a.m., classes before 10 a.m. are cancelled UNLESS your instructor has made specific arrangements to resume class once the late start ends.  This would most likely occur with longer classes lasting several hours, and your instructor may include this information in your syllabus, on Canvas, or via email.  

Please note that other services, like student support services, may not be available or may be very limited upon building opening.
 

How a Decision Regarding Campus Closure Is Made

Unless a campus is unsafe or utility systems, such as water, electricity, or heating, are malfunctioning, our intent is to remain open and operational to meet our obligations to:

  • Our students, who attend to receive an education on schedule
  • Our faculty and staff, who are here to provide and support the educational process
  • The tax-paying public, who expect a high level of performance

 

In cases of hazardous weather, such as a snowstorm, each college president—for North, Central, and South—works with the chancellor, the other college presidents, and campus security and facility crews at their college to determine whether conditions call for a closure, late start, or early release. In the event of a widespread or catastrophic emergency, a decision and announcement will typically be the same for all campuses and offices across the district.

Consideration factors:

  • Closure decisions are determined by conditions at each college’s main campus, surrounding area, arterial streets, and Interstate 5.
  • While we attempt to make closure decisions as a district, it is possible conditions could be considerably worse at one campus or center compared with another. In those cases, a late start or closure decision may be made for one while others remain open.
  • Weather-related closure or late start decisions are made independent of local school districts. Students and employees are advised not to assume local school district decisions reflect the status of Seattle Colleges operations.
  • Because Siegal Administrative Center is located close to Seattle Central, if Seattle Central is closed due to inclement weather, then Siegal Administrative Center will also be closed. 

Official Closure Announcement Channels

Current weather-related information on campus closures or adjusted hours can be found on the following channels (Note: in a power outage, some of these could be impacted):

College-Specific Emergency Information

The following website links are provided for college-specific emergency closure information:

Timing of Decisions and Announcements

Decisions regarding a college closure or late start will generally follow these timing targets, with closure announcement messages sent as soon as possible thereafter:

  • Conditions permitting, the target for making a closure decision is by 5 a.m. on the impacted day.  
  • For evening classes, conditions permitting, a decision will be made by 3 p.m.  
  • It is possible that a decision may be made the night before if the forecast clearly calls for hazardous weather.
  • On weekends, campus decisions and announcements will be made if students and staff are on campus for classes and workshops.

In event of widespread or catastrophic emergency, a decision and announcement will be the same for all campuses and offices in the Seattle Colleges District, following discussion by the college presidents and chancellor (or their designees), or by the Emergency Communications Committee, as called for in the districtwide emergency communications plan.
 

Additional Information for Faculty and Staff 

Essential Personnel

In the event of a college campus closure or late start, some employees are asked to be available for work despite poor weather conditions. Classified Civil Service employees with this requirement are designated as essential personnel. Typically, this includes facilities and security employees.  

Employees considered essential personnel will be informed well in advance of a closure situation. If an employee has a question about their own status, they should check with their administrative supervisor. Direct any questions about this process to your supervisor. Supervisors and managers, please forward questions to your vice president.
 

Working During Closures and Suspended Operations

The scenarios below are a guide for employees to pay, schedule, and work environment during closures and suspended operations. It is only a guide. Ultimately, staff should follow the instructions of their supervisor.

  • If you are required to physically work on campus during a closure or suspended operations, you will be paid according to the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement (e.g., 2.5 times your regular rate of pay for Classified staff for those hours physically worked on campus during a closure or suspended operations).
  • If you are not required to physically work on campus during a closure or suspended operations, you will be paid according to the provisions of your applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement. You may be paid your regular rate of pay while:
    • Working your regular shift, if you are able to work remotely.
    • Completing training assignments or other professional development work to complete during the closure and/or suspended operations.
    • Using paid leave, if required. 
  • If you are required to physically work on campus during a closure or suspended operations, you will be paid according to the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement (e.g., 2.5 times your regular rate of pay for Classified staff for those hours physically worked on campus during a closure or suspended operations).
  • If you are not required to physically work on campus during a closure or suspended operations you will be paid according to the provisions of your applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement. You may be paid your regular rate of pay while:
    • Working your regular shift, if you are able to work remotely.
    • Completing training assignments or other professional development work to complete during the closure and/or suspended operations.  
    • Using paid leave, if required. 

If you are not required to physically work on campus during a closure or suspended operations, you will work your regular shift remotely, as if operations were not suspended on campus. 

More Information

Employees should contact their supervisor with specific questions or for more information. Classified employees can refer to The State of Washington and Washington Federation of State Employees of Higher Education Community College Coalition Collective Bargaining Agreement for additional details.