With all the recent tornadoes people in mid-Missouri are focusing on their emergency plans.

But many parents are left with a dilemma when severe weather hits.

Should you leave your child at school or pick them up?

In some school districts they might not have an option.

So far this month more than 100 tornadoes have swept across the nation.

Sunday night's tornado in Joplin was the deadliest single twister since 1950, killing more than 130 people and destroying an estimated 8,000 buildings.

So what happens when bad weather hits and children are in school?

Are parents allowed to pick their student up?

"We feel like the kids are probably better off here," Jefferson City Public Schools spokesman David Luther said.

Luther also said the school district prefers the students to stay at school.

"As soon as we have the sirens go off, we're going to immediately go into our emergency plan, which is to put the students in the safest place in the schools," Luther said.

But he said while it's not their first choice, if a parent wants pick up their child, under certain circumstances they could, on a case by case basis.

The school district actually invites parents into their building during severe weather.

"If they want to be with their child which is the main thing, come on in, you can hang out with us until the sirens go off and we get the all clear," Luther said. "We don't want to put a child and a parent back in a vehicle if there's a storm out there because we don't want to put either one of them in jeopardy."

Luther said because the students and faculty of the Jefferson City Public Schools practice their emergency plans on a regular basis, they are offering a very safe place for your child.

We checked around with other school districts in the area to find out what their severe storm weather policies are.

South Callaway School District said officials do not release students during emergency situations.

But Columbia Public Schools said while they discourage parents picking up their children during emergency sitautions, it is ultimately the parent's choice.