Inclement Weather Procedures
School Closing Procedures
Dear Wildcat Family,
The winter weather will soon be upon us, and it is important to review procedures for school closing or delaying the opening of school due to snow and inclement weather.
The State now allows schools to use AMI days (alternative methods of instruction) on snow days so they do not have to make up the days. Since we are not fully 1:1 (only HHS & HMS students take home computers each night), using AMI on snow days would require us to anticipate a closing the day before a weather event to send home computers with elementary students. This scenario is a difficult one for everyone and for a one day closure, it’s just not practical. However, if we see a large storm coming that could result in several days out of school, we may send home computers and implement AMI if the closure lasts multiple days.
The Harrisonville School District may delay the opening of school by two hours when it appears conditions might improve. The decision to close school or to delay the opening of school by two hours will be made by 5:30 a.m. to allow time for the media to broadcast this decision prior to most students preparing for the school day. When school is delayed by two hours, Harrisonville High School, Wildcat Academy and Cass Career Center will begin at 9:40 a.m., Harrisonville Middle School will begin at 9:30 a.m., and McEowen Elementary, Harrisonville Elementary, and the Early Childhood Center will begin at 10:50 a.m. A few notes about a late start:
- No breakfast will be served on these days.
- There will be no morning preschool at ECC.
- There will be no morning Cass Career Center sending school classes.
- The Community Center's before school program will run as normal and buses will just pick up two hours later than normal.
- Regular school closing time will be observed on delayed school opening days.
Local Kansas City TV stations (4, 5, 9, and 41) will be notified by the school district of any delay, early dismissal or cancellation of school. We sill use our automated calling and texting system for all inclement weather notices, and well as the school district app (available by searching Harrisonville Schools in the Google Play or App stores), Facebook (www.facebook.com/HvilleSchools), Twitter (@HvilleSchools) and the district website. Please check multiple sources for school district notifications when the weather is questionable.
Once children are in school, approximately three hours are required to get the last child home after a decision is made to close school. For this reason, it is unlikely school will be canceled once classes are in session. However, when conditions dictate an early release, school will be dismissed. The automated calling and texting system will notify parents of any early school dismissal. It is also a good idea to listen to a radio or television station any time weather conditions are changing or in question. The district website will carry early school dismissal information as soon as decisions are made.
It is very important that parents have plans for younger children if school is dismissed early. In the event a parent is not or cannot be home, arrangements should be made for the child to stay with a friend or neighbor. Parents should insist their children dress for protection against prolonged exposure to the weather as a safety precaution.
The decision to hold school or not to hold school is always a difficult one. Every effort will be made to consider the safety of the students, the safety of the faculty, and the convenience to parents when making such decisions. Your cooperation and assistance is appreciated. It is always the parent or guardian’s decision to determine the safety for their child during inclement weather. If you have questions regarding school dismissal, call the building in which your child attends or the district office at 380-2727.
Sincerely,
Josh Chastain
Superintendent of Schools
Winter Weather Reminders
Winter weather - cold, snow & ice - is going to happen at some point during the winter months. When winter weather strikes, the district monitors temperatures, wind chills, and road conditions, and will inform parents as early as possible if a decision is made to cancel school. Safety is priority number one when making the determination to cancel school on any given day due to inclement weather. If snow, ice, or extreme cold make conditions unsafe, we will cancel school. However, there will be days we have school and it will be very cold. Here are a few reminders for those days...
- Please make sure that your children come to school dressed for the weather, with winter coats, hats, and gloves.
- If a child walks to school, we ask that parents try to make arrangements for the child to be given a ride to school. In some neighborhoods, parents form emergency carpools and this works well.
- If the child is a bus rider, we again encourage parents to make sure their child is dressed appropriately. We also encourage parents to let the child wait in the car with them until the bus comes (or, again, make arrangements so that several children can wait together in one car).
Being in school is important for many reasons, including that instructional time is valuable to all students. Additionally, schools are safe places to be for students. Students have adult supervision throughout the day and, should they stay home on a cold day, in some cases there may be no supervision available.