Student safety is always the district’s primary concern. The district goes through several steps to determine if it is safe for kids to get to school, including:

1. When the threat of winter weather approaches, administrators begin monitoring and communicating directly with the National Weather Service about the timing and extent of the incoming weather. Administrators also communicate with other area districts to learn what conditions are in their area and what may be heading toward the Willard District.

2. A team of district administrators drive throughout the entire district the night before and/or by 4 o’clock the morning of to assess weather and road conditions. Sometimes conditions are different in one part of the district than they are in another. Administrators have to take into account conditions in all parts of the district.

3. All of the information is analyzed and every effort is made for a decision to be communicated by 5:30 a.m.

There are several ways to learn whether Willard has closed school.

1. Our district notification service sends an automated email, text message, and/or phone call to parents with their information set up in our Student Information System. If you do not already receive these messages, please contact the District Office at 417-742-2584 to update your information.
2. Check our district website. This is the most reliable source of information. Every effort is made to post closings by 5:30 a.m.
3. Check our District Facebook Page.
4. We notify media outlets to add Willard schools to their list of closings. Keep in mind, however, that this can be the LEAST reliable source of information. It is always best to confirm what you see or hear in the media.

As always, parents should use their best judgment in determining whether it is safe to allow their student(s) to travel. If parents don’t believe that conditions are safe, they may choose for their student to be counted as absent that day.

No. Due to lack of staffing, if school is dismissed early because of weather, afternoon Tiger TALES will not be available. If school is canceled entirely because of weather, Willard Schools does not offer any child care.