With winter weather expected to come in this weekend, PCPS officials want to remind students, staff, parents and patrons of how they will be notified if school is closed due to inclement weather.
If school will be closed for inclement weather or another unforeseen reason, every effort will be made to make an announcement by 6:00 a.m. the day in question.
If parents have checked all district notifications and there has not been an announcement to close school by 6:00 a.m., parents should assume that school will be in session.
The district will broadcast a message through the district’s mobile app. In addition to app notifications, school closings will be publicized on the front page of our PCPS website (www.pcps.us), Facebook and Twitter pages. It will also be publicized on television stations KFOR, KOCO, KWTV, KOKH, KJRH, KOTV, and KTUL. These radio stations and websites will also be notified: NewsOk.com, KQSN (104.7 FM), WBBZ (1230 AM), KLOR (99.3 FM), KPNC (100.7 FM), Ponca City Now (website), Ponca Post (website), and Kay County News (Kay News Cow – website). The Ponca City News will also be informed.
When a storm brings or is expected to bring freezing rain, ice or snow, PCPS officials begin around 3:00 a.m. gathering information in order to make a decision about whether schools should be open or closed. Roads are checked by Transportation staff checking out main thoroughfares and neighborhood streets. It’s not just road information and forecasts that are being considered. Temperatures and wind chills to be faced by children waiting for buses or walking to school must also be kept in mind.
On days with potential for bad weather, district staff closely watch conditions, monitoring warnings, reports and radar from the National Weather Service and local media outlets.