Safety First: Severe Weather Procedures During Dismissal

At Lakota Local Schools, keeping our students and staff safe is our top priority. This includes during severe weather. By following the guidelines below, we can manage severe weather situations and keep our school community safe.

If severe weather initiates the emergency siren notification system during dismissal: 

• Students: All students will return inside the school building and shelter in-place until the severe weather warning has expired. This includes students receiving district-provided transportation, private transportation or those who walk or bike to/from school. Students will not be released during an active shelter-in-place event.
• Staff, Parents and Visitors: Building staff and visitors will also be asked to shelter in-place until the severe weather warning has expired. Parents/guardians, daycare transportation providers and others who are there to pick up students will be offered access to the building during the shelter-in-place event. 

If severe weather initiates the emergency siren notification after dismissal while students are on district-provided buses or vans, the driver will drive to the closest shelter (school, public building, etc.) and evacuate the bus/van into the shelter. If the driver is unable to make it to a safe shelter and the threat is imminent, the driver will conduct an evacuation and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine.

Only after the severe weather warning has expired will district transportation resume their routes. If sheltering in-place at school, parents/guardians, visitors, daycare transportation drivers and district drivers will be released first to return to their vehicles. Students will remain in the building until these individuals have cleared the building and then normal dismissal procedures will resume. 

As a reminder, dismissal times for any schools released after a shelter-in-place event will be delayed. 

While a general communication will come from Lakota during a district-wide weather event, parents can expect another communication from their school detailing their response, current status and dismissal procedures.