December is here, which means we are officially heading into the winter weather season! We want to be sure all of our families and employees are prepared for the possibility of school cancellations due to severe winter storms, so we’ve provided the information below, including how we will communicate with you if our schools need to close due to the weather.
First, we’d like to provide an update related to a survey question we asked this fall. We asked families and employees if they’d like to continue or stop receiving phone calls related to school cancellations. Of those who responded, 59% of families and 58% of staff said they’d like to continue receiving the calls. Therefore, this winter weather season, we will continue to use automated phone calls to inform you of school closures as in the past, along with text messages, social media posts, website announcements and local news outlets. All individuals with phone numbers provided in our student information system will receive phone calls related to school cancellations – even those who responded to the survey that they would like to stop receiving calls. However, you may choose to opt out. Information about opting out of phone calls is available here. More details related to communication, including a test message that will be sent this Friday, are available below.
Winter Weather Procedures
As a reminder, in the event of winter storms or severe winter weather, school cancellation alternatives within the Republic School District will be as follows:
- Hold school as normal
- No school in Republic School District
- Alternative Method of Instruction (AMI) Day, also known as virtual learning
- Early release due to expected weather
Communication
The Republic School District will work to communicate via email to families and employees if there is a chance of school cancellation in the days leading up to a possible winter storm. The decision to close or alter school will be made as early as possible. If school needs to be canceled or virtual due to severe winter weather conditions, our Communications Department will use an automated calling system to call and text families and staff members. Typically, these messages will occur before 5:30 a.m. on the day of the closure.
Here are a few things to remember:
- Families and staff members are asked to save the phone number 417-732-3636 and text short code 98900 into their cell phones as "Republic Schools." If you’ve already opted out of text messages and would like to opt back in, please text START to 98900.
- We ask that families update their contact information in the SISK12 Parent Portal so we can ensure you are receiving communication as needed. If you have any questions on how to update your contact information, you may call your student’s school.
- If your student would like to receive phone calls and text messages related to school cancellations and other important updates, please be sure to include their phone numbers in the SISK12 Parent Portal.
In addition, announcements about school day changes or cancellations will be made on the Republic School District’s social media pages and website, as well as on local radio and TV stations.
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