Emergency Communications / Procedures
Closing School
Weather conditions and emergency situations may make it necessary for USD 470 to close schools for the safety of students and staff. Announcements of this nature will be posted on the main page of the district website and communicated to students' parents/guardians as soon as as possible. Additionally, parents and students are advised to listen to local radio or television stations for weather updates.
It is extremely important that the school district has each student's current address and the phone number(s) for each parent/guardian. To ensure your contact information is correct, please review and update information during enrollment or call your child's school to have the secretary make those changes throughout the school year. Please also make sure the list of individuals authorized to pick your child up from school (including during an emergency) is up-to-date.School closing/emergency information is available from many different sources:
- USD 470 text (TalkingPoints) and phone/email alerts (SchoolMessenger)
- USD 470 Facebook, Twitter
- Local news outlets including the Cowley Courier-Traveler, KSOK 95.9 FM, KACY 102.5 FM, KAKE 10 - TV, KSN 3 - TV, KWCH-TV and more
- USD 470 Home Page
Storm Shelters
While the primary function of district FEMA safe rooms is to protect students and staff members during the school day, the intent has always been to make them available to the public whenever possible. Neighborhood residents and district employees serve as FEMA safe room hosts in the event of a tornado or other severe weather outside of the regular school day. While we can’t make guarantees, every effort is made to ensure the safe rooms are open and available to the public regardless of the time of day.