Weather and Emergency Procedures

The safety of students, staff and parents is the Wichita Public Schools' greatest priority during the threat of dangerous conditions. Emergency plans are in place should tornadoes, lightning, hail, snow or other dangerous circumstances present a safety concern. See weather procedures below.

Parents: Please make sure your contact information is up-to-date in ParentVue, the district's student information system, in order to receive notifications.

Access ParentVue

Staff: Employees should make sure their primary and secondary contact numbers are current in PeopleSoft in order to receive emergency phone calls. Staff e-mail updates are delivered through Outlook.

Rescheduled athletic events

Notifications of Closings or Delays

Notice of all closures or delays due to weather are posted on the WPS home page. Wichita Public Schools does not typically make announcements that school is in session during winter weather events, only when school or activities are cancelled.

Parents will be kept informed through:

ParentLink - phone, email and text notifications
WPS website
WPS English and Spanish social media channels - Facebook and Instagram, X (English only)
Local media

Winter Weather

How is the decision made to close school?

When is the decision made to close school?

A decision to cancel school will be made no later than 5 a.m. on the morning of a school day if winter weather conditions are of such a nature that the overall safety of students would be greatly jeopardized and the operations of the school district would be significantly impaired.

Based on conditions, the district may elect to make this decision the night before a school day, in which case the community will be notified as soon as the information becomes available in order to allow parents and employers the time to make appropriate plans.

Will you ever consider dismissing early if weather gets bad during the day?

Will after-school activities be postponed too?

What if my child's bus is late?

During times of severe weather, conditions may be of such a nature that buses may be running late. If this occurs, specific information will be posted on social media outlets and will be relayed to local news media. Conditions that impact a student's wait time are considered whether evaluating whether to hold or cancel school on a given day.

Get bus updates in real time!

Download the FirstView bus tracker app

I work for the district - How will I know if I'm supposed to come to work?

The Superintendent has the authority to declare a “snow day” and determine on a day by day basis which work/pay groups are required to report for work. The Superintendent’s decision will supersede any previous memos or past practice. Employees will receive specific work and reporting instructions through the Outlook internal e-mail system, through ParentLink, and through general media. Certain employees with unique emergency roles will be contacted by their direct supervisor.

Parent Guide to Winter Weather

Invierno procedimientos del clima

Mùa Đông Quy trình thời tiết

WPS Winter Weather Procedures

Watch WPS Snow Removal Crews Behind The Scenes

Tornadoes/Lightning

Principals will be notified if weather conditions are expected to turn severe during the school day. Updates will be shared throughout the day, if needed.

Tornado Warning

When a warning is issued for any geographic area of Wichita, all WPS schools will take shelter until the all-clear is given. After students are sheltered in a safe room storm shelter, parents will not be able to pick them up until the all-clear has been issued.

If a tornado warning is issued during the school day for our community, several things will happen to keep students safe:

During the school day, all students and staff will immediately take cover in a designated shelter area (see Shelter Procedures).
Before or after school while students are riding a school bus, drivers will immediately be directed to take shelter at the nearest middle or high school in the MORNING, or the nearest elementary school in the AFTERNOON. Other non-school locations may be used if necessary and appropriate. All school buildings have an entrance designated as the entry point for bus riders in this circumstance.

PARENTS: Be safe during severe weather!

Take shelter in a safe location
Pick up your student AFTER the storm warning has passed!
Our storm shelters WILL NOT be unlocked for a child to be picked up once shelter doors are closed.

Shelter Procedures

All occupants in a building – students, staff and any visitors – will be directed to a designated shelter area if a tornado warning is issued during the school day.

There are two types of shelter designations:

PRIMARY SHELTER – Primary shelters are take place in the school’s Safe Room storm shelter(s). Once students and staff have entered the shelter, doors are closed securely and locked per FEMA specifications. Doors are unlocked only after the official all-clear has been issued. All WPS schools have safe room storm shelters designed and built to withstand direct hits from EF5 tornadoes, wind speeds over 200 miles an hour and flying debris. All wall, roof systems, doors and hardware must pass stringent testing.

SECONDARY SHELTER – Every district school facility has a secondary shelter area identified. These secondary areas provide a similar place of safety for building visitors who arrive after the FEMA Safe Room has been closed. Once the FEMA Safe Room has been closed and secured, signs on the outside of the Safe Room door will direct people to the secondary shelter area.

Lightning

Principals, athletic directors and coaches carefully monitor weather while all outdoor practices and competitions are taking place. Students will be removed from any activity in progress should lightning create threatening conditions. Our policy is to remove students and spectators from any outdoor activity when lightning is detected 10 miles away from an approaching storm. Activities don’t resume until 30 minutes after the last lightning strike and the storm has moved 8 miles away.

Parent Guide to Spring/Fall Weather

Primavera y otoño procedimientos del clima

Quy trình thời tiết mùa xuân & mùathu

WPS Severe Weather Procedures

Earthquakes

Just as schools practice fire and tornado drills during the school year, Wichita Public Schools students and staff learn how to protect themselves in case of a major earthquake. The Drop, Cover, and Hold Earthquake Response Plan, supported by Emergency Management Agency guidelines, is a simple reminder of how to take cover in case a powerful earthquake occurs.

Drop - Drop to the ground.
Cover - Take cover under a desk or table, protecting your head with one arm.
Hold - Hold on to the desk or table.