Independence Local Schools

Independence Local Schools will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, January 27, 2026, due to the wind chill warning put into effect from tonight until tomorrow.

What is the threshold for cancelling school due to wind chill? When there is a weather advisory/warning, and the wind chill or real feel temperature reaches around -11 to -15 degrees, we will consider cancelling school. We also spoke about an AM - wind chill/real feel vs. a PM wind chill/real feel temperature. There is a difference between students waiting at a bus stop in the AM and those getting dropped off at a bus stop and walking home immediately from their bus stop in the PM.

Please know that if you ever disagree with the district's decision not to cancel school and you, as a parent/guardian, are concerned for your student's safety, we will always consider it an excused absence when you call in. Please also note that some districts have many walkers, while others offer door-to-door drop-off. All of these factors determine whether a school district will cancel due to wind chill or inclement weather.

Thanks to IPS 2nd grader Jillian for sharing her snow day artwork with us! Stay safe and warm!

Independence Local Schools will be closed Monday, January 26, 2026, due to inclement weather. We continue to monitor the weather for Tuesday and will make a decision by 1 pm tomorrow.

These are never easy decisions to make. The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding as we navigate winter weather conditions.Several individuals have asked about the number of days we are permitted to be closed before having to make days up.

Several years ago, the Ohio Department of Education shifted from counting days to counting instructional hours. At this time, most of our grade levels and buildings have more than 10 weather-related days available, with kindergarten having 10 days. We are not currently close to exceeding the allowable hours that would require us to make up days.

Thanks to IPS third grader Aria for for sharing her snow day artwork with us! Stay safe and warm!

Take a moment to watch Episode 2 of Inside the Plan: Understanding the Why. 🎥

This video series is about having real conversations with the people who know Independence best—our community members, staff, and board leadership—about why we’re proposing a new PreK-8 school and how we’re thinking carefully about funding it.

Superintendent Kelli Cogan is joined by two people who don’t just serve on our Board of Education—they’re lifelong members of this community. Katie Hill, our Board President, and Tony Avila, our Vice President. Both are graduates of Independence, both live here, and both are raising—or have raised—their children in our schools.

Also, be sure to keep checking back to our webpage as we continue to add information, including dates for upcoming community meetings.

https://youtu.be/CfALHHBsyMI?si=wCCRqWi7Ml5IlSFb

Join the Conversation: We invite you to hear more about the new PreK-8 building project & funding mechanisms. Meetings will include tours of our current facilities: Thursday, January 22 at 7 PM – IMS media center (with babysitting offered by IHS Key Club) and February 24 at 7 PM – IPS

Independence Local Schools will be closed on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, because of extreme cold temperatures and the wind chill factor. Stay warm, everyone!