Inclement Weather Procedures

Throughout the year in Kansas, a variety of weather conditions can impact school operations.

Because of this, we encourage families to stay connected with the district in several ways to receive timely updates about school schedules, cancellations, or delays.

Whenever severe or inclement weather threatens, the district will communicate only when school, athletic events, or district activities are canceled or adjusted. If operations are continuing as normal, no notification will be sent.

Types of Inclement Weather That May Affect School Operations

The district closely monitors several weather conditions, including:

Winter weather: snow, ice, and dangerously cold wind chills
Tornado warnings or watches
Extreme heat
Flooding or flash flooding

When any of these conditions pose a safety concern, the district may cancel school, delay start times, release early, or modify athletic and extracurricular activities.

How Families Will Be Notified

Direct notification to parents, guardians, and staff through the ParentSquare platform in text and email. You do not need to opt-in to this platform. Your information provided at student enrollment will be used.

Local television and radio stations
District website
District social media channels
District main office: 785-832-5000

Please note: All school schedule changes/announcements also apply to Lawrence Virtual School and Adult Education Services.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will school schedule changes be announced?

The district always works to make weather-related announcements as soon as possible, to allow parents and families to prepare for school schedule changes.

If no announcement has been made, school is in session as planned.

Announcements regarding school schedule changes, including closures/delays, will be found on our Lawrence Public Schools websites, our district Facebook page, and our USD 497 ParentSquare feed.

ParentSquare Feed
LPS Facebook Page
LPS Website

Who makes the decision to cancel or delay school?

District staff members collaborate with local, city, and county road officials, and members of the student transportation team who drive the roads, when needed, to check actual conditions across the district.

Lawrence Public Schools takes cancellations very seriously.

Multiple factors are evaluated and considered when determining whether to cancel or delay school, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, wind chill, road and sidewalk conditions, etc. All conditions and variables are closely monitored by district leadership. Many times, officials work through the night and early morning monitoring the weather conditions. Most importantly, the safety of our students and staff is our first priority.

As a reminder, conditions may vary widely across areas of the district. Parents may choose to keep their children home from school in the event of inclement weather conditions. Please notify your student’s school when deciding to keep them home.

How do I find out about schedule changes?

When school schedules change due to inclement weather, the district sends automated phone/email/text messages to staff and school families through ParentSquare.

For announcements regarding school schedule changes, you may visit our district website (www.usd497.org) or our Lawrence Public Schools Facebook page. You may also call 785-832-5000 for a recorded message about any school closures/delays.
Area media also announce school closings and delays.

If there is no announcement, school is in session as planned.

ParentSquare Feed
LPS Facebook Page
LPS Website

How is a two-hour delayed start managed?

Safety is the primary focus when a determination is made to close schools or to delay the start of school by two hours. A delayed start may allow hazardous road, sidewalk, and parking conditions to be cleared.

When unsafe travel conditions require a delay of the start of school by two hours, buses will pick up students at their regular bus stop two hours after the regularly scheduled time. For example, if a child normally catches the bus at 6:45 a.m., the pick-up time on a two-hour delayed schedule is 8:45 a.m. Likewise, schools open two hours after their regularly scheduled start time.

Any before-school activities or zero-hour classes will be canceled.

A cold breakfast will be served two hours later than your school’s regularly scheduled serving time. School lunch will be available as usual and school dismissal times remain the same.

While school administrators report to school at the regularly scheduled time, teachers and staff will not be on duty until 15 minutes before school begins. As a result, schools cannot provide supervision for students prior to the start of school. Custodians report to work at the direction of the Facilities and Operations Department. The district’s Educational Support Center will open at 9:30 a.m.

Who’s on duty when schools are closed?

What happens if the weather worsens during the school day?

We always work to avoid unexpected early dismissals; however, there may be circumstances when early dismissal is unavoidable.

When it is necessary to dismiss students early during a regular school day, the district will contact parents and area media outlets.

If weather conditions worsen and schools remain open, parents may choose to pick up their children from school early, after informing school staff of the decision.

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