As Westside students rejoiced over the cancelation of school Wednesday, Feb. 5, few thought about how the news was broken to them: Twitter, a phone call, an email to the parents or even the scrolling bar at the bottom of the local news. Getting the news out to 100% of the Westside community can be a difficult task to accomplish. In charge of this endeavor is Peggy Rupprecht, the director of communications for the District 66.

Before Rupprecht can contact the community, a decision needs to be made by Superintendent Blane McCann. A decision that is not taken lightly.

“Student and staff safety is a priority for all of us,” Rupprecht said. “I think [Tuesday] night and [Wednesday] morning was an easier decision, but there are times when you can make a decision one way or another.”

To decide whether to cancel school or not, McCann stays in contact with the other superintendents in Omaha.

“I think what honestly happens is the school districts communicate collectively,” Rupprecht said. “I know Dr. McCann is on the phone with other districts.”

Though at times it seems as if Westside waits for other schools to cancel before Westside will, Rupprecht said this is not the case.

“While it seems [other districts] call it before we do, I think it is done at the same time,” Rupprecht said. “I think it is a matter of they get the message up before us.”

To get the message up quickly, Rupprecht starts her task as soon as she gets a call from McCann about the cancellation. Rupprecht will contact a variety of outlets to get the word out.

Though the order of contact can vary, last Wednesday’s snow day Rupprecht contacted the Westside employees first. Afterwards, she tweeted out the news and contacted the parents through an automated phone call. Finally, she contacted a list of TV and radio stations to inform them about the cancellation.

“Typically, we will communicate with the parents and employees first, then the media,” Rupprecht said.

The resources to communicate with the community have changed over the past few years, as new methods become increasingly popular within the Westside community. Five years ago, releasing the news on Twitter would be unheard of. Yet, the tweet to cancel school this past Wednesday had 91 favorites and 150 retweets.

“I think [Twitter] is a good forum,” Rupprecht said. “It has been effective. I’ve noticed every time we’ve had a snow day, the number of likes and follows increase.”