Kansas City area schools shed insights on anticipated snowfall preparation

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - The Shawnee Mission School District has announced schools are closed ahead of anticipated snowfall into Wednesday. District officials said the decision to close was made with the safety of students and staff in mind.

“We have to ask ourselves two questions. Can we get our students and staff to school safely, and can we get them home safely? If we can’t answer both of those questions yes, then we’re not gonna have school,” said SMSD Chief Communications officer David Smith.

So far, four snow days have been used for the school year with room for four more days to use if necessary. In the case they exceed the remaining four days, they have the option to either extend the school day or add extra days to the school calendar. According to the district, virtual learning will not be an option because the state of Kansas does not allow virtual days to compensate for a full day of school.

“Extending the calendar creates challenges for families, extending the days creates challenges for families,” said Smith.

READ MORE: KS, Shawnee Mission among school districts to cancel classes for Wednesday

Kansas City Kansas Public School District also has four inclement weather days on its calendar and plan to add an additional ten minutes to the high school schedule in order to meet state requirements. A district spokesperson said they “always prioritize the safety of our students and staff when it comes to these decisions of closing schools due to inclement weather.”

“We had to stock up on groceries today to make sure that we could get through the next couple of days for food,” said SMSD parent Amanda Casiano.

Casiano is a parent of two students in the Shawnee Mission School District. She said last year her children had 10 snow days with two days forgiven by the district.

“This year’s not a typical year, again, so we’re hoping that they are a little lenient and we’re not having to extend past Memorial Day,” said Casiano.

According to the North Kansas City School District, it has one AMI day left to utilize based on updated guidance from the state. Any future traditional snow days could be made up at the end of the year as noted on its school calendar or utilizing some of the no student attendance days.

The Shawnee Mission School District hopes its parents and students will make the most of their time together.

“This is a great day for kids to stay home, snuggle up with their parents, read. I think learning happens in many different ways and there’s lots of ways for our kids to stay engaged,” said Smith.

More information about the Shawnee Mission School District’s weather procedures can be found on the district website.

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