In the event of severe weather, the district administrator may choose to cancel or delay school.
The decision to close schools or open with a delayed start will be communicated before 6:00 A.M.
School closings due to inclement weather or other unusual circumstances are announced through our automated phone calling system, on the district website, local radio/TV stations, and on our social media channels. Our emergency notification system automatically imports phone numbers and email addresses from school records located in Skyward Family Access.
It is critical that families keep contact information current. Please make sure contact information listed in your student’s Skyward records are accurate and up-to-date.
November, 2022
Dear LMASD Families,
As we move into the winter weather season, the difficult decision to close or delay school for weather related reasons is a popular topic. I want to explain to you how these important decisions are made in the Lake Mills Area School District.
We could move to remote learning during inclement weather (and we may do so if we have numerous days off that would force us to make up instructional time in June), but rather we are choosing to allow our students to learn other life skills: baking cookies, building snowmen, making hot chocolate, playing a board game, putting together a puzzle, or reading for pleasure. Having attended school in Florida until my eighth-grade year, I was more than delighted to learn of “snow days” during the winter of ‘82. It was the winter I learned to ski and ice skate. Therefore, please read the following information below regarding school delays and cancellations!
Student safety is always our first priority. With that in mind, our staff is constantly monitoring changing weather conditions. The monitoring of weather conditions continues very late into the evening and begins again at approximately 3:30 A.M. It includes driving country roads, consulting with neighboring districts, and using information for schools provided directly from the National Weather Service in Sullivan, WI. The Lake Mills Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and townships, and other local agencies also are resources that may assist in our collection of information. We make the best decisions we can based on the available information. This is a decision that is taken very seriously.
As we make closing decisions, we watch the timing of the snow/ice/wind in relation to when our students would be traveling, as well as predictions of changing conditions. In terms of wind chill, we watch for a “Wind Chill Warning” as well as the timing of an advisory, road conditions, and any predicted precipitation. If there is a “Wind Chill Warning” (-35 degrees) for the day, we may close schools.
The decision to close or delay will be made by 6:00 A.M. and will be posted on the following television and radio stations: WISC - Channel 3, TMJ4 - Channel 4, WKOW - Channel 27, WMTV - Channel 15, FOX 6 - Channel 6, 620AM, and 103.3FM. In addition, the message will be posted on the school website and social media pages, and you will receive automated messages from Skylert (P: 920.648.2215) using the information you have provided the school in Family Access (Skyward). Mr. Vogel (@Vogel_LMHS) and Dr. Olson (@tonyaolson22) will send out messages via Twitter.
Reminder: If schools are closed, there are no afterschool activities in our facilities.
Finally, if there is ever a time that we hold school, and you do not feel it is in the best interest for your child to attend, please contact the school to use one of your parent excused absences for your child on that day. Parents have the ability to excuse their child for up to 10 days per year; on the tenth day we are required to start the notification of the excessive absence process. Remember, attendance is crucial to student learning and we “strive for less than five” days of absence per year.
Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tonya Olson, District Administrator
