UMKC reverses decision: All classes canceled Wednesday for weather, not Chiefs
University of Missouri-Kansas City officials have changed their minds and decided that all classes will be canceled and the campuses shut down on Wednesday when the city celebrates the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. But the parade isn’t the reason, officials say.
School districts across the metro area announced Monday they would close so students and teachers could attend the once-in-50 years victory parade downtown. At the time, UMKC said its main Volker campus would remain open.
On Tuesday, officials said it was not the celebration that made them reverse the decision.
“We got an update on the weather and found out the weather is going to be worse than we thought and it would best to go ahead and cancel classes,” said John Martellaro, UMKC spokesman.
Meteorologists are forecasting temperatures in the mid- to upper 20s Wednesday.Snow is expected to start about 7 a.m., and 1 to 3 inches is expected.
Johnson County Community College will close Wednesday for the parade. Park University is closing administrative offices, but classes will not be canceled, unless a professor decides to do so.
Across the region, college students petitioned on Change.org, calling for their administrators to call off classes so they too can go to the parade
Kansas State University students collected more than 6,000 signatures.
“I believe that Kansas State should cancel classes. Us students care about our classes and don’t want to have to skip, but we also don’t want to miss this opportunity to celebrate our amazing city and team!” wrote Bekah Sluyter, who started the petition directed to K-State President Richard B. Myers.
One student signed the petition to cancel classes because “who’s actually gonna go anyways?”
Other petitions were filed for University of Missouri, University of Central Missouri and Pittsburg State and gathered 1,400 to 5,000 signatures. Sorry, students, those schools as well as University of Kansas did not cancel classes.
Meanwhile school districts in the area, including Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission and Olathe, have canceled class.
