Instruction Plans For Tuesday Changing For Some Schools Due To Weather Forecast
Instruction plans may be altered for area students Tuesday as bitterly cold temperatures arrive, along with the possibility of snow. Announcements are expected to be made about Tuesday schedules soon.
Area students were not in school today due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, but the possibility of snowfall during the day on Tuesday has area school districts keeping a close eye on the forecast.
Some school systems made sure students had the instructional tools they needed before they left school last Friday in the event Learn from Home days will be required for Tuesday and/or Wednesday.
Instruction Plans for McDuffie County Students Announced
Schools officials in McDuffie County say students will attend school on Tuesday, but they’ll be released early in anticipation of winter weather. The release times for Tuesday are as follows:
- 11:00–Dearing Elementary and Sand Hills
- 11:15–Special education buses at all schools
- 11:20–Thomson-McDuffie Middle
- 11:25–Thomson High School
- 11:30–McDuffie Achievement Center, Maxwell Elementary, Thomson Elementary, Norris Elementary.
School district officials say they will be monitoring weather forecasts for the rest of the week and will announce a decision about Wednesday sometime on Tuesday.
Columbia, Richmond and Aiken County school districts have all said they will announce instruction plans for Tuesday by 5:00 pm today.
Columbia County Schools Will Have Early Release Tuesday
All students and staff in the district will dismiss early on Tuesday and all after school events and activities are cancelled.
- 11:00 am–Middle schools will dismiss
- 11:05 am–High schools will dismiss
- 12:10 pm–Elementary schools will dismiss
“As this weather event moves through our area, we will continue to monitor conditions in partnership without local, state and national weather officials. Further notifications of school closures or delays, if needed, will be announced no later than 5:00 pm Tuesday,” according to a statement from the Columbia County School District.
Aiken County Schools Will Have Early Release Tuesday
Aiken County school officials say public schools in their district will operate on an Early Dismissal Schedule Tuesday.
- 11:30 am–Elementary schools
- 12:10 pm–Middle schools
- 12:30 pm–High schools
- 11:55 am–Ridge Spring-Monetta and Busbee elementary schools
- 12:00 pm–A.L. Corbett Middle, Wagener-Salley High, Aiken Scholars Academy
- 12:15 pm–Ridge Spring Monetta Middle
- 12:20 pm–Ridge Spring Monetta High
Breakfast and lunch will be served prior to dismissal.
There will be no after-school care Tuesday through QuestZone and no events to include athletics, arts, clubs Tuesday afternoon or evening.
School district offices will close no later than 2:00 pm. The Operations Center will close at 1:00 pm
Richmond County Schools Announce Asynchronous Learning Day Tomorrow
The Richmond County School System (RCSS) will hold a PowerUp Asynchronous Learning Day on Tuesday, January 21, out of an abundance of caution due to forecasted inclement weather. All extracurricular activities are canceled. The decision was made after monitoring updates from the National Weather Service, collaborating with local Emergency Management Agency officials, and considering the Governor’s State of Emergency declaration.
Teachers will post assignments in Canvas for older students or SeeSaw for younger students and communicate with families through platforms like Remind or Class Dojo. Families are encouraged to ensure students complete their assignments in the morning ahead of the anticipated weather impacts.
RCSS will continue to monitor conditions for Wednesday and provide an update by Tuesday evening.
Additional updates will be shared through the district’s inclement weather landing page at rcboe.org/weatherupdates, the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, social media channels, and local news outlets.
Winter Weather Watches and Warnings
A winter storm warning is in effect for Emanuel, Jefferson, Johnson, Allendale, Jenkins, Screven and Washington counties from 10 am Tuesday to 7 am Wednesday. Heavy snowfall and some mixed precipitation is expected. Total snow accumulations could be up to two inches and a light glaze of ice.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for Bamberg, Burke, Barnwell, Glascock, Hancock, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes counties from 5 pm Tuesday to 9 am Wednesday. Snow is possible, up to one to two inches, in portions of central, east central, north central, northeast, northwest, and west central Georgia.
