The message below was emailed to Shawnee Public Schools families on January 10, 2024. If you are a parent/guardian of an SPS student and did not receive the email, please contact your child's school office to update your contact information.
Shawnee Families,
Recent reports have predicted winter weather in our area in the next few days. We all know as Oklahomans that winter weather can lead to conditions that sometimes affect the safety of our students and staff. Safety is always our top priority, so our administrators and I are actively monitoring these weather reports.
Of course, it is far too early to make a decision about closing school due to potential winter weather. I want to make you aware of how we reach those decisions and how that information will be communicated with you. We always take into consideration current road conditions as well as extreme wind chills for students who walk to school or wait at bus stops. I work with our transportation and operations staff to check the bus routes, school sidewalks, and temperature/wind chills. Canceling school and school activities is never an easy decision, but it is one I will make if necessary to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
If I make a decision to cancel school and school activities due to weather, you will receive communication through a variety of methods. Our communications team will share information as quickly as possible through email, phone calls, text messages, school app notifications, social media posts, website announcements, and the local media. We know that families may have to make decisions about childcare when school is canceled, so we will communicate as much in advance of the cancellation as possible. We will work diligently to reschedule any activities that are canceled due to inclement weather.
To help us communicate with you most effectively, please contact your school site if your email address or phone number have changed. You may also consider downloading the Shawnee Public Schools app to ensure you receive app notifications. Links to the app are available on our website, www.shawnee.k12.ok.us.
When we do have school during cold weather, know that we will continue to act with safety in mind. If your student rides a bus, I encourage you to download the MyStop app. The app provides real-time location of your child’s bus and any information about potential delays. The app also provides bus stop arrival time information to help you and your child plan when they need to walk to the bus stop to avoid long wait times outside. More information about the app is available at https://www.shawnee.k12.ok.us/page/transportation. We also follow recommendations from the Oklahoma State Department of Health for outdoor activities, and we will have indoor recess when the temperature is 32 degrees or below at the time of recess. For outdoor athletic activities, our coaches will follow OSSAA weather safety guidelines.
Student and staff safety is our number-one priority. As always, we will communicate with you quickly whenever we make safety-related decisions that affect your family. Thank you for trusting Shawnee Public Schools with your child’s safety and education.
Sincerely,
Dr. Aaron Espolt
Superintendent