Greenville County Schools Weather Preparations
Update 4:30 pm - Greenville County Schools anticipates waiting until Wednesday morning to make a decision on school closings or delays because of vastly differing weather predictions on the timing, temperature and amount of precipitation expected from the expected winter storm. A dusting of snow with no ice underneath would not require closure, while ice or heavy snow would.
We will monitor weather conditions tonight and deploy our ICE team early tomorrow morning before bus routes begin at 5 a.m.
We encourage parents to make contingency plans tonight for childcare tomorrow in case of a possible closure or delay. A decision will be made by 6 a.m. Wednesday at the latest and will be communicated via local media, GCS social media, and text alerts. We do not send a parent phone message for an early morning closing or delay decision. You can sign up for an alert by texting “follow @gcsalerts” to 40404.
Though we prefer to give families as much lead time as possible for these decisions, the forecast models are simply too inconsistent for us to do so at this time.
Update 12:50 pm - Greenville County administrators are consulting with the National Weather Service, Emergency Preparedness Officials, the Department of Transportation and Law Enforcement as we watch the latest forecasts come in. We will evaluate the timing of the possible storm and how it could affect travel conditions for buses and car riders in the morning.
While we try to make decisions the evening prior to the start of school, it is not always possible depending on the changes in weather predictions and conditions. Greenville County Schools encourages parents to have a plan in place for alternative childcare if necessary. We are prepared to put members of our ICE team on the roadways at 4 a.m. Wednesday depending on the track of the storm.
Parents are encouraged to check our social media sites, our website and local media for updates. They can sign up to receive an alert to their cell phone by texting “follow @gcsalerts” to 40404.
Our maintenance crews at the district warehouse have loaded trucks with “ice melt” and have our plows ready to roll. These teams handle snow and ice removal on school properties, in parking lots and on sidewalks.
Our primary concern is the safety of students and staff, not only those who live in the Northern part of the county, but those students who may travel across the county for a magnet schools and teachers who work at a school that is not located near their home.
Additionally, we have several high schools that have End of Course exams scheduled for Wednesday, IF school must be cancelled students should prepare to take those exams on the day they return to school. We are on a tight window with state deadlines to complete those exams.
Greenville County Schools has used its three scheduled “snow” days. The first two were used during Hurricane Irma on September 10th and 11th. The third was used January 8th. Those days will be made up on March 13th, March 30th and April 27th. If additional closings occur our school board can forgive up to three missed days. The State Board of Education can forgive three more beyond that.
10:00 am - Greenville County administrators are consulting with the National Weather Service, Emergency Preparedness Officials, the Department of Transportation and Law Enforcement as we watch the latest forecasts come in. We will evaluate the timing of the possible storm and how it could affect travel conditions for buses and car riders in the morning.
We will try to make a decision this evening, if possible, to allow parents enough time to plan for childcare in case a delay or cancellation is necessary. Parents are encouraged to check our social media sites, our website and local media for updates. They can sign up to receive an alert to their cell phone by texting “follow @gcsalerts” to 40404.
Our maintenance crews at the district warehouse have loaded trucks with “ice melt” and have our plows ready to roll
Our primary concern is the safety of students and staff, not only those who live in the Northern part of the county, but those students who may travel across the county for a magnet schools and teachers who work at a school that is not located near their home.
Additionally, we have several high schools that have End of Course exams scheduled for tomorrow, IF school must be cancelled students should prepare to take those exams on the day they return to school. We are on a tight window with state deadlines to complete those exams.