Communications

Communication Policies

Inclement Weather

Snow Days (Cancellations) and Snow Delays
Sometimes inclement weather requires Paris Independent to delay or cancel our school day.
When the forecast calls for extreme weather overnight, crews from the district's transportation and maintenance department begin checking bus routes very early in the morning to see if the roads are safe for school buses. Meanwhile, the Superintendent checks in with local police departments and other school districts in the area. Based on all this information, a decision is made on whether or not to delay or cancel classes.

Once a decision has been made, it's shared with parents via email, phone call, SMS Message (text), and posted on the district's website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Local television and radio stations are also notified.

The announcement to delay or cancel school will be made either by 9:00 PM the night before a snow day/delay, OR before 5:30AM the morning of the snow day/delay.
(Ex. The announcement to call off or delay school will never be made at midnight. If the decision has not been made by 9:00 PM, the announcement will be made the next morning before 5:30AM.)

Emergencies

The safety of our students and staff is a top priority at Paris Independent Schools. All communication protocols that are used during emergency situations are indicated in our District Crisis Response Plan.

Our Crisis Response Plan spells out two different types of Lockdown procedures. One is a “Lockdown Continue Teaching” and the other is a “Lockdown Shelter In Place”

“Lockdown Shelter In Place” means there is a perceived or actual imminent threat to our students and staff. All students and staff must go to a designated area behind locked doors, turn off the lights and remain quiet. In this instance, an email, phone call, SMS Message (text), and social media post would be made to parents as soon as possible with regular updates as needed to keep parents informed as we address the situation. The email is sent using the "Emergency" email list through Infinite Campus and School Messenger.

This is a situation that we train for but hope that we never need to actually initiate. Please keep in mind that in order to ensure the safety of our students and staff, there may be a slight delay in communication in emergencies. Delays in communication will only occur with the 100% safety of our students and staff safety in mind.

“Lockdown Continue Teaching” or a "soft lockdown" means that there is no perceived or actual imminent threat to our students and staff. During this protocol, all students and staff should be inside the building, and the hallways should be cleared and doors should be locked. Teaching can continue as it normally would inside the classrooms. This procedure can be utilized for a number of reasons when there is no danger to our students or staff inside the building.
For instance:

a dog could be outside in the playground or yard
a student or staff member might be experiencing a medical issue in a location where we would not want to have students walking by
local law enforcement may have notified the school that we should go into a “soft lockdown” as a precautionary measure while they address a situation in our community, such as serving a warrant on an adjacent property during the school day

In the instance of a Lockdown Continue Teaching where there are no law enforcement officers involved, only an email is made to parents to keep parents informed. The email is sent using the "General" email list through Infinite Campus and School Messenger. Because there is no perceived or actual imminent threat to our students and staff, no phone call shall be made in this instance.

In the instance that law enforcement officers are involved in a Lockdown Continue Teaching situation (for example, a warrant being served on an adjacent property), an email, phone call, SMS Message (text), and social media post will be made to families to keep families informed. The communication is sent using the "General" email list through Infinite Campus and School Messenger.

Non-Emergency Important Communication

Non-Emergency Important Communication may include changes in Bus Routes, School Calendars, School Day Schedules, Safety Procedures, or other important procedures that pertain to a large portion of the student body.
This communication will be sent via email, SMS Message (text), and posted on our website homepage under "Latest News".
We will share this information via phone call if it is vital for families to know as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.
We will also occasionally share this information on our social media pages, however, due to social media site algorithms, social media is not a reliable way to communicate information to families, so we do not rely on it for important communication.

Social Media Directory

Digital Sign Content Submission

Digital Sign Content Submission Form

Digital Sign Content Submission Protocol

There are two digital signs. One on Main Street in front of Paris Elementary School and one on 7th Street in front of Paris Middle School and Paris High School.

How to submit content to be placed on the Digital Signs:

Fill out THIS Google Form with specific information.
Our communications team will receive an email with your request.
Ideally, both Digital Signs will be updated each Tuesday morning during the regular school year, and occasionally throughout the summer and winter break.

What content IS allowed:

Advertisement for school related events and sports (home games, fall festivals, student art shows, etc.)
Reminders for school events and deadlines (end of semester, FAFSA due date, testing dates, etc.)
Recognitions for outstanding staff members and students
Photos and videos of students and staff

What content IS NOT allowed:

Advertisements for businesses, groups, and events not directly related to Paris Independent Schools or its students and staff
- General advertisement for an art show downtown is not considered to be directly related and will not be shared. However, an advertisement that states “Check out our students' work in the art show downtown on Saturday” is directly related to our students and can be shared, even though the art show is not a school event.)
Profanity or inappropriate language or content of any kind
Low quality (blurry, wordy, or confusing) content
Photos of individuals who have not given written permission to have their photo shared (parents, community members, and Paris students without written permission)

Disclaimer: It is possible that not all submitted content will be uploaded to our signs. Content will be filtered by appropriateness and relevance, prioritizing the content that is the most relevant to the largest number of our students and families.

SMS Messaging Opt-In Information

Snow Days/Delays and Severe Weather

Snow Days (Cancellations) and Snow Delays

Sometimes inclement weather requires Paris Independent to delay or cancel our school day.
When the forecast calls for extreme weather overnight, crews from the district's transportation and maintenance department begin checking bus routes very early in the morning to see if the roads are safe for school buses. Meanwhile, the Superintendent checks in with local police departments and other school districts in the area. Based on all this information, a decision is made on whether or not to delay or cancel classes.

Once a decision has been made, it's shared with parents via email, phone call, SMS Message (text), and posted on the district's website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Local television stations (WKYT27 and WLEX18) are also notified.

The announcement to delay or cancel school will be made either by 9:00 PM the night before a snow day/delay, OR before 5:30AM the morning of the snow day/delay.
(Ex. The announcement to call off or delay school will never be made at midnight. If the decision has not been made by 9:00 PM, the announcement will be made the next morning before 5:30AM.)