KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan. He and his phtographer, Al Miller, spent most of their day in Belton. They talked to families about winter, snow and the most important topic for the kids — snow days.
Ryan and Al also found out about "Mad Dog Hill,'' the best sledding his in Belton.
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Jon Kryeutzweiser and his three boys spent Monday evening playing in the snow and shoveling their driveway.
"The kids love snow days," Kryeutzweiser said
The answer to if there would be school on Tuesday lingered in the back of his mind.
"We enjoy them, but it is kind of a balance of who is going to stay home," he said.
For Jon and his wife, the first conversation they have during a winter storm is who will stay home with the kids. His job is a bit more flexible than his wife's.
Up the block, a Belton middle school parent was in the same boat, wondering what will happen with his child's school day tomorrow.
"Bout this time of night, you’re looking, anticipating that phone call or email," said Jeremy Brewer.
His daughter is an eighth-grade student in the Belton School District. Brewer told KSHB 41 Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa that she's involved in a lot of extracurricular activities.
"Our youngest is involved in so many things, dance-wise, she’s in the school musical and so the performance is this weekend," he said. "They missed a rehearsal today because they were just out of school. Who knows what will happen tomorrow, if they try to plan for that this weekend."
Many school districts across the metro held classes Monday's as a winter storm brought three to five inches of snow.
The Belton School District was already out of school on Monday for a Personal Development Day for teachers and staff.
Kryeutzweiser lives in Belton, but sends his kids to a private school in Overland Park. Their commute is about 30 minutes each way, he says, but Monday morning's drive took about an hour.
"It’s kind of a waiting game," he explained. "Assuming there is school, we’ve gotta get ready about 30 minutes earlier."
He said the school typically follows the decisions of Johnson County public schools to cancel classes.
"We’re going to do showers, bath time, all the regular things, and I’ll just set my alarm a little bit earlier in the morning and start watching as soon as I wake up," Kryeutzweiser added. "You’re gonna get all the way ready for school until we hear otherwise. For us, driving over to Overland Park that might be halfway, so be it."
While Mother Nature and the Belton School District calendar may have coordinated perfectly, Brewer found out the district will have alternative methods of instruction on Tuesday.
"She's already one who doesn't like to miss school," he said.
As a parent, he finds it can be stressful, especially when his daughter is involved in other activities.
"You just have to reassure her that things are going to be okay," he said. "Maybe we could run through some lines together at home."
Gamboa spoke with the City of Belton Public Works Department on Monday afternoon. The department has been hard at work clearing roads.
"We’re at the mercy of Mother Nature," Claytown Turnbow, operations superintendent, said. "That’s the nature of what we do with snowplowing. We’ll be plowing and we’ll be 14-to-16 hours out there working."
The Raymore-Peculiar School Distict will not be in session Tuesday, according to a note Monday night from the district.
Raymore-Peculiar Superintendent Dr. Mike Slagle sent families a letter Monday night about the school's planning decisions.
Ray-Pec Community,
Days like today remind us why Missouri winters are not for the faint of heart or for anyone trying to predict them. As you know from the message I shared earlier this fall, we take our inclement-weather decisions very seriously and work hard to get them right. Still, even with a careful process, some days simply do not unfold the way the early-morning information suggests.
I want to be candid with you: the most reliable forecast we had at 4:30 this morning indicated that today’s conditions would allow for a school day with minor disruption. Based on that information, we decided to proceed with in-person learning. As the day progressed, it became clear that those early projections didn’t play out as expected.
I completely understand that today created challenges for some families, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience it caused. These decisions never come lightly. They’re made after reviewing multiple data points, consulting with experts, and assessing what we believe will best support the safety of our students and staff. Even with all of that, there are days like today when winter weather proves it still has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Thank you for your patience, especially on the days when the call doesn’t turn out as cleanly as any of us would have hoped.
Gamboa also reached out to the Grandview School District and the Lee's Summit School District.
The Lee's Summit School District will be virtual on Tuesday, according to a Monday night Facebook post.
Grandview Schools will also be virtual, according to a social media post.
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