Oct. 8, 2021
Ray-Pec parents,

I have two items for you as we end another great week in Ray-Pec.

The first is a celebration of our Child Nutrition Services team, as next week marks National School Lunch Week.

Some Heroes Wear Hairnets

Our Child Nutrition Services (CNS) prepares breakfast and lunches each day to our students at Ray-Pec Schools. Over 60 CNS full- and part-time professionals provided over 650,000 lunches or breakfasts last year and will exceed that number this year. For two of the past three years, the Support Staff Employee of the Year has been a CNS employee! The flexibility and ingenuity of this team to rethink food delivery during the pandemic was truly remarkable and important to our student community. Thank you Ray-Pec CNS staff for providing such a valuable service to our students every day!

Winter Weather

The second item is about winter weather. 

As I confessed to you last year, I am not a fan of winter. There are not many decisions that I like to make less than determining whether a school day will be closed to in-person learning because of inclement weather. It is definitely not my favorite part of the job. 

Our Approach On Inclement Weather Days

As we did last year, inclement weather days in Ray-Pec will be an instructional day through virtual learning. Students in our VIPR program will not notice a difference in the day. Students in our in-person classes will attend classes online or have learning activities pre-assigned to them so that the learning will continue on inclement weather days.

We Will Communicate in A Variety of Ways

In the event of a virtual instruction day due to inclement weather, the district will use all available media to communicate effectively:
  • Our School Messenger service will be used to send a recorded telephone message to all employees and the family of each student.
  • A text message will be sent via Textcaster. You can sign up here.
  • All subscribers of RP Update, the district's electronic newsletter, will receive an email. Subscribe by sending a message to rp.update@raypec.org.
  • Information will be shared on local television stations (4, 5, 9, and 41).
  • An update will be available via the district information line at 816-892-3988.
  • The announcement will be posted on the district website, Facebook page, and via Twitter.

We Will Try To Make The Call Early

I understand that calling an inclement weather day can cause disruptions for our families. To mitigate that to the greatest extent possible, we will try to make an inclement weather announcement as early as possible, preferably the night before. Please know that this is a goal and not a promise, as conditions can and do change overnight at times.  

Many of You Will Think We Made the Wrong Call

One of the truisms of being a superintendent is that not everyone will agree with a weather day decision, whether that decision is to close or remain open for that day. I will own that upfront, and ask for your patience and grace. Please know that our team will strive to make the safest, most prudent weather-related decisions relying on weather experts, their forecasts, and information from our public works partners in Raymore, Peculiar, and Cass County. With over 95 square miles of varied terrain and road conditions, we have to take the entirety of the school district into consideration when making the inclement weather decision. I appreciate your understanding.

Thanks in advance for your continued patience and grace. 

And thank you for entrusting your children to the Ray-Pec School District.

Mike Slagle