Making the Decision to Cancel School

Closing school is often a tough decision to make. The superintendent keeps the students' educational needs and the safety of students, parents, and staff members in mind when considering delaying the start of school, dismissing early, or canceling school altogether. 

The superintendent takes into consideration the amount of snowfall/ice accumulation, current, and potential road conditions, temperature, the safety of student drivers, the readiness of school parking lots and sidewalks, and the availability of buses and drivers.

We try to give as much notice as possible when canceling school but oftentimes, weather patterns don't allow for notification the day before. The superintendent usually makes a decision by 6 a.m. that day after talking with other district administrators, emergency management officials, and superintendents from surrounding districts.

Notification 

In the event the Ark City School District needs to cancel school for any emergency reason, including bad weather, parents/guardians will receive a message from the district's SchoolMessenger notification system. (If you're not receiving messages, please contact your child's school secretary to review the contact info. on file.) Information can also be found:

• By visiting the district website
• By following @arkcityschools on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
• By watching local television channels and listening to local radio stations that are part of the Emergency Information System, including:

KSOK 95.9 - FM Radio
KACY 102.5 - FM Radio
KAKE 10 - TV News
KSN 3 - TV News
KWCH 12 - TV News