Schools closed for three days after Winter Storm Nika dropped nearly a foot of snow in Shawnee and surrounding cities. School was cancelled before the storm hit on Tuesday, Feb. 4 in preparation for the deep snowfall and plummeting temperatures.

No district building has re-opened through Thursday, Feb. 6. Although the storm has passed, the district closed schools due to low temperatures, and some streets have yet to be cleared by snow plows.

“Many neighborhood roads remain snow-packed, and that makes travel difficult, not only for families, but for school buses,” director of administrative services and community relations Alvie Cater said via email. “In addition, we are faced with dangerously cold weather, and we are under a wind chill advisory. Many of our students ride buses, and we have to consider the safety of those children standing outside waiting for the bus. With the road conditions, there is a possibility that buses could be delayed in this kind of weather. The longer the bus takes, the longer children would stand outside.”

Each year, the district is allotted four days during which school can be cancelled due to inclement weather.

“If the school district exceeds four days this school year, then we will have to examine the calendar and consider our options for making up time,” Cater said. “The state of Kansas requires school districts to meet a minimum number of student contact hours. Last school year (2012-13), we had five inclement weather days and we used a day in April that was set aside for teacher professional development.”

For a list of activities that have been rescheduled, click here.