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Several school districts across the Kansas City area dismissed students early Friday afternoon due to potential severe weather.
School officials said early dismissals are very uncommon, which is why the decision came late. Districts had to follow certain protocols and procedures before announcing the change to families, but ultimately decided safety comes first.
A major factor in the decision was ensuring buses were off the roads before the weather front came through. Considering the chances of high winds and slippery roads, officials did not want to risk a bus filled with students flipping over.
Parents were notified of the staggered early dismissal just hours before, leading to busy streets and packed parking lots.
"I’m glad that they called it. I did receive a text message and an email," parent Tamika Jarmon said. "So, thank you school district and everybody else that made the call. As a parent, I do appreciate enough notice. Sometimes it’s hard for them to just call school off. I get it, they have to be in school for a certain amount of hours, but I think they’re doing the best that they can."
Other parents echoed the sentiment that safety is the priority.
John, a Kansas City Public Schools parent, said he was already planning to pick up his children early.
"I’m glad, because as of this morning, we were all kind of just playing it by ear and hoping they made the call, and they did," John said. "We were going to try to pick them up early anyway. So, now we don’t have to worry about the attendance record."
Tamara Briscoe had to make two stops to pick up her grandchildren while their parents were at work.
"If there’s someone that can pick them up, I’m good with it. I was off today,” Briscoe said.
The severe storms in the Kansas City area caused flooding on roadways in Kansas City, Missouri, and produced a possible tornado in Belton, Missouri, on Friday evening.
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