photo by: Shawn Valverde

The downtown Lawrence area and the KU campus, in back, are pictured on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.

Lawrence public schools will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 8, after experiencing ongoing challenges with snow and ice removal following the winter storm.

Despite the efforts of the custodial, facilities and operations team, the Lawrence school district said in a press release that they continue to face challenges in effectively clearing sidewalks, driveways and parking areas from the winter storm that occurred over the weekend. With the sheer amount of snow and the ice beneath it, the school district buildings will be closed and all school activities will be cancelled on Wednesday.

In addition, there are some neighborhood streets and sidewalks that still need to be cleared for students, staff and families to safely get to school, according to the press release. The district’s transportation partners also have concerns with their ability to complete some bus routes.

“We want our students and staff back in school,” Lawrence school district spokesperson Julie Boyle said in the press release. “In the interest of safety, we need to close tomorrow and continue working on this arduous task of providing safe passage for everyone’s return.”

The district built into this year’s school calendar extra instructional time to cover additional inclement weather days. Boyle said in the press release that more information would be shared with the community soon.

In addition to the Lawrence school district, Perry-Lecompton schools have canceled classes and activities for Wednesday.