Update Thursday, 6 a.m.
With temperatures at the start of Thursday hovering below zero, public school districts in Johnson County canceled classes again, the third inclement weather day this week for most area schools.
All six public school districts in Johnson County are off Thursday, including:
- Blue Valley
- Gardner Edgerton
- Olathe
- Shawnee Mission
- Spring Hill
- USD 232 De Soto
Original story continues below:
Wintertime woes (or wonders, depending on your perspective) continue for local schools.
With record-setting low temperatures gripping the Kansas City area this week, Johnson County schools are again canceling classes Wednesday, following a snowy day Tuesday.
The forecasted high for Wednesday is 10 degrees, and wind chills could be as low as -15 to -20.
Health officials say skin exposed to such extreme temperatures can develop frostbite in minutes, especially on extremities such as fingers, toes, noses and ears.
The National Weather Service’s Kansas City field office said the snow was expected to taper off Tuesday evening with a chance for flurries Wednesday morning.
A cold weather advisory remains in effect until midnight Thursday.
All 6 JoCo public school districts are off Wednesday
In quick succession Tuesday afternoon, all of Johnson County’s public school districts announced they would cancel classes Wednesday, due to the lingering effects of Tuesday’s snowstorm and the bone-chilling temperatures expected Wednesday.
“Please know there are many factors considered when making these decisions and the safety of our students, staff and families will always come first,” the Blue Valley School District said in its announcement.
Many Johnson County districts have now surpassed their budgeted number of snow days in their calendars, following several weeks that have seen multiple rounds of extreme winter weather in the Kansas City region, including a near-record blizzard and traffic-crippling ice.
To date:
- Blue Valley has called 6 snow days after budgeting for 5
- Gardner Edgerton has called 6 snow days, though the district did not immediately respond to the Post’s inquiry about how many it had budgeted for
- Olathe has called 6 snow days after budgeting for 4
- Shawnee Mission has called 6 days after budgeting for 4
- Spring Hill has called 7 snow days, though the district did not immediately respond to the Post’s inquiry about how many it had budgeted for
- USD 232 De Soto has called 6 snow days after budgeting for 6
Will schools have to make up time?
Kansas law requires all accredited schools to be in session for a minimum of 1,116 hours each academic year.
When making their annual calendars, most school districts go well over that 1,116-hour mark, leaving them room to cancel days due to inclement weather and still get over the legal threshold.
When schools cancel enough class days due to inclement weather and get close to or drop below the legal minimum, then they will have to find ways to make up that time before the end of the academic year.
So far, Johnson County school districts have not made any final plans on how they might make up time lost to snow days.
In Shawnee Mission, the school board has discussed possible options, district spokesperson David Smith said via email Tuesday, but no final decisions have been made.
SMSD “will communicate to families as soon as that decision is made,” Smith said.
In Blue Valley, district spokesperson Kaci Brutto said the district “typically announces the official last day of school and any necessary calendar adjustments following spring break.”
That allows for the eventuality of more winter weather cancellations over the next month or so before a final decision is made, she said.
USD 232 in De Soto is taking a similar approach, said Alvie Cater, the district’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications.
If the district ends up using more than its planned-for snow days in its calendar, he said, “our plan is to present some options to the Board in March with notification to families soon thereafter.”
No final decisions have been made in Olathe either, but the district is weighing its options.
District spokesperson Erin Schulte said in an email Tuesday, “In previous years, when we have exceeded our built-in days, we have extended the school day for a short period of time, such as 5-10 minutes, to reach the number of state-required instructional minutes.”
Any calendar change like that, she said would be communicated to staff and families if implemented.
When will it end?
That’s what many parents are asking.
Unfortunately, Thursday is looking like it will be just as frigid as Wednesday, which could prompt more school cancellations.
Overnight lows — that’s actual air temperature, not wind chill — on Wednesday into Thursday could reach -10. Highs for Thursday are then expected to creep up to around 13.
After that, longer-term forecasts show a warmup into the 20s on Friday.
By early next week, temperatures could be in the balmy 50s.
