Lawrence Public Schools
All Students. One Team.
Hello, Lawrence Public Schools Community,
We look forward with excitement to welcoming our students, staff, and families back to school tomorrow. Thank you for your patience, perseverance, and support as we worked together to prepare for a safe return to school.
The ice, historic snowfall, and bitterly cold wind chills posed formidable obstacles for our community and schools.
I know we all share our deepest gratitude for the members of our Facilities and Operations team, including our custodial staff, who worked many hours over long days and nights. They treated, and then cleared sidewalks, driveways, and parking areas and continue to monitor the successful operation of heating systems at our 21 schools and support centers.
Please allow extra time and continue to use extreme caution during arrival and dismissal, particularly on perimeter sidewalks and in parking lots. Students and staff should use main school entrances. Wet surfaces will refreeze overnight. Our team will re-treat around schools beginning at 4 a.m., yet areas will remain slick.
Playground blacktops have not been cleared. Recess will be held indoors. Students should always dress appropriately for winter weather, wearing a stocking cap, coat, boots, and gloves or mittens. Dressing in layers also will enable adjustments to be made during the day for personal comfort.
First Student shares that safe and slow will be the order of the day. Bus riders should expect delays and the potential for reroutes if roads are impassable. Everyone involved will continue to give their best effort. Thank you for your patience.
We understand that all of us have had to labor to free ourselves from our confinement and venture out into the cold. Our team looks forward to the rewards of that exertion – welcoming students back to school, hearing about their winter break, holidays, and snow day activities; and diving into our second-semester learning goals!
Cell-Phone Free Instructional Environments
We have high expectations in prioritizing classroom instruction and working to reduce distractions so that students meaningfully engage with their teachers and peers and focus on their learning. Please assist us by reminding your children that all personal electronic devices should be off and put away during cell phone-free instructional time. Encourage them to continue to show this respect for the diligent preparation of their teachers, the quality instruction delivered, and for their own achievement, growth, and well-being.
Thursday’s National Day of Mourning
Some of you have asked about President Joe Biden’s declaration of tomorrow as a National Day of Mourning the death of former President Jimmy Carter. We certainly support the intention to honor the contributions of President Carter, a global humanitarian. Schools serve as natural settings for such observances. As they always do, our professional educators will guide students in understanding and reflecting on the significance of this special day of remembrance of our country’s 39th president.
I wish all students, school families, teachers and educational support staff, and building and district leaders a joyous and successful start to 2025! We have much to accomplish during our time together in the exciting weeks ahead.
Sincerely,
Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools
