Urgent Alert Communications and Inclement Weather Procedures

Ottumwa Schools uses various resources to get pertinent information to parents and the community. If school is delayed, canceled, or other changes to the schedule, this information is shared on the following sources:

More information about the Ottumwa Community School District Inclement Weather Procedures can be found on our website: ottumwaschools.com/inclementweather 

Please keep in mind that our Emergency Alert System plays a critical role in communicating important updates, including school closures due to inclement weather or other crises. If you have a student in an Ottumwa Community Schools building or program, or if you are a staff member working within our schools, you should be receiving these notifications at the time the event is announced.

With our integration of the ParentSquare communication platforms, some may be receiving notifications in error. This is a good time to double-check your contact information in PowerSchool and update information regarding your emergency contacts. Student contacts identified as 'Emergency Contact' will be notified when we send an Urgent Alert. With our Emergency Alert System, all notification preferences are overwritten to ensure timely delivery of the messaging. Ottumwa Schools will only send Urgent Alerts for timely messages such as delay or cancellation, or in the event of a crisis. If you are not currently receiving notifications from the school, please ensure your phone number is correct in PowerSchool. If you need assistance, please contact your building secretary.

Ottumwa Community Schools will conduct a test of its emergency notification system on the evening of Wednesday, October 9, at 6:00 pm. We want to ensure our families and secondary students are informed of school cancellations due to inclement weather or in case of an emergency in our school community. The annual test of our automatic notification system ensures Ottumwa Community Schools has accurate contact information for families and secondary students. A phone message, text, and email will be sent to our Ottumwa Community Schools families; in advance, please verify that your phone numbers and contact information are accurate in the PowerSchool portal. If you need to update your information, please call your child's school.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our communication channels up-to-date and for your commitment to the safety and well-being of our school community.