Kearney School District generally uses Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) during snow days.

AMI Days for Elementary School Students (Grades K-5)

Since KSD doesn’t send home devices for our students in grades K-5, we have prepared materials in advance to send home to elementary school families. This way, teachers and students will be ready in case an AMI day is announced.

Those AMI day materials were handed out to families during the most recent Parent Teacher Conferences; please contact your child’s teacher if you have not received them or need replacements.

If an AMI day occurs, please ensure your child completes the assigned work and returns it the next school day. This work is important as it will count towards attendance for the missed day.

AMI Days for Secondary School Students (Grades 6-12)

Virtual classes will begin at 8 a.m. on AMI days for students at Kearney Middle School, Kearney Junior High and Kearney High School.  All teachers will have two set virtual hours on those days for instruction and to answer questions, using the following schedule.

• 8 to 9 a.m. – Electives
• 9 to 10 a.m. – Math & Science
• 10 to 11 a.m. – English Language Arts & Social Studies
• 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Electives
• 12 to 1 p.m. – Math & Science
• 1 to 2 p.m. – English Language Arts & Social Studies

Teachers will also be available to respond to emails during normal contact hours from 7:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. On AMI days, attendance will be determined by the completion of lessons and activities in the following manner:

• Completion of lessons and activities turned in the next day of attendance.
• Electronic submission of lessons and activities on the AMI day or the next day of attendance. 

Please contact your student’s school or teacher with any questions or concerns that you might have about our AMI plans.

Winter means days with ice and snow and dangerous driving conditions. Winter weather may cause school cancelations. Snow days may be fun for kids, but we understand that canceling classes is often a burden for parents/guardians. As always, we will only cancel school when conditions dictate that it is necessary to keep students safe.

When will cancellations be announced?
We will make every effort to inform parents/guardians as soon as possible when schools will be closed due to inclement weather. Our goal is to send these notifications before 9:30 p.m. the evening before the school closure, or between 5 and 6 a.m. on the day of the closure.

How will cancellations be announced?
Cancelations will always be shared first by email, phone and SMS message via ParentSquare. If your contact information has changed recently, please make sure that you have informed your school. You can also update your contact preferences in our PowerSchool Student Information System.

Email, phone and text will always be our top priorities for sharing urgent updates. Other ways of tracking information from us about events like snow days include, by order of importance:

• KSD and school websites
• KSD’s Facebook and Twitter accounts
• Local print and broadcast news outlets

Will there be two-hour delayed starts?
Depending on weather and road conditions, a decision may be made to delay the start of school by two hours rather than cancel classes. If that happens, schools will start at the following times:

• KMS, KJH & KHS - 9:30 a.m.
• Elementary Schools - 10:35 a.m.