Unfortunately crises are an unavoidable part of life.  Boone County Schools understands the importance of planning for a crisis from a preparedness standpoint so that our students, staff, visitors and members of our community feel safe and secure in an emergency situation. Regardless of the nature or timing of a crisis, the district response and strategies follow general policies and guidelines.  These policies and guidelines were put into place on Friday during the severe weather that passed through our region.  At the core of any guideline is the safety of students, staff and families.

As you are aware, the storm system on Friday moved far more rapidly than even the weathercasters were able to keep up with.  Based on all of the information that was available to us about the impending weather, all students would have arrived safely home prior to any warnings in our area.  When the warning sirens began sooner than expected, we ordered all schools and transportation to follow emergency protocol which for some meant they should take shelter within their school buildings and for others to take immediate shelter as necessary.

Following any crisis, the next steps are to review the facts and debrief with county emergency officials.  As always, we will review the procedures followed for safety and make all necessary changes to ensure nothing but the utmost safety for our students and staff.  We are always seeking better solutions for the future.

We would like to offer a very sincere thank you to the hero's in our community who helped to ensure that every child in our school district was safely delivered home on Friday.  Parents, community members, principals, school staff and the entire transportation team of Boone County Schools demonstrated courage and wisdom during an intense time as severe weather moved across our area.

Friday was a challenging day for all of us personally and professionally.  It will continue to be difficult in the coming months for so many who are picking up the pieces after the storm.  It is in these times we should be proud of our community that came together to help provide safety and comfort to one another in a time of extreme need.

Sincerely,

Randy Poe, Superintendent of Schools