First winter storm of year weighs on school officials' minds

SIKESTON -- When it comes to addressing winter weather, school officials all agree on one thing: the safety of students is their main priority.

The first winter storm of the year moved into the region late Tuesday, but local school superintendents and other personnel began tracking the event early in the day.

By mid-day Tuesday some schools either cancelled or moved up starting times for ballgames in an effort to keep players and attendees from traveling in inclement conditions.

"The safety of the students comes first," said Scott County Central Superintendent Al McFerren. "It is the most important aspect in assessing possible weather issues. We don't hesitate and play around with what falls out of the sky."

If there's a potential danger to students or their transportation to and from school, officials err on the side of caution, McFerren said.

Sikeston R-6 Superintendent Tom Williams agreed.

"It's all about the safety of our kids," Williams said. "If it's not safe to be out in a bus on the road, we take everything into consideration -- if it's safe to be out in a bus on the road and we even have high school-aged kids who drive their vehicles to school. There are a lot of things we have to consider, but our priority is the safety of our kids."

Sikeston's parents and students are notified of school closings by text messages or phone calls through the district's student information system, Williams said.

Messages are also posted on Sikeston R-6's Twitter, Facebook and district homepage: sikestonr6.org.

New Madrid County R-1 School District uses Eagle Alert, a texting system, to inform parents of school closings such as snow days, emergency situations, and short notice items. The alerts come as a text message to cell phone and/or as an email message. newmadridco.k12.mo.us

Portageville School District uses a similar texting system, Bulldog Alert, to inform its parents of school closings, which is available for sign up at portageville.k12.mo.us.

Both Kelly Schools in Benton and East Prairie R-2 alert parents and students of school closings through their school communication systems, and they also post messages on their Facebook pages.

Charleston R-1 Superintendent Tony Watkins said school closings are announced via the district's Facebook and Twitter pages, and he sends out text alerts through the school messenger system.

"We try to not cancel school based on the forecast, but sometimes we do, especially, if we see it's going to impact a big area, and if I see multiple schools around us are closing, then I probably will, too," Watkins said.

For the complete story, see the Wednesday edition of the Standard Democrat.