Most metro Atlanta and North Georgia school districts are canceling in-person classes Tuesday due to expected frigid temperatures.
The Atlanta, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Decatur, DeKalb, Douglas, Gilmer, Marietta, Paulding and Pickens districts are among those who announced students will not have to come to school, citing concerns about icy road conditions that could impact buses and student drivers. Forsyth’s school district announced at about 5 a.m. Tuesday that it is shifting to remote learning for students.
Gwinnett, the state’s largest school district, is holding classes Tuesday.
Some private schools, such as Mount Paran Christian School, North Cobb Christian School and The Walker School in Cobb, are also closing and canceling after-school activities Tuesday. Additionally, Kennesaw State and Reinhardt universities are closing Tuesday. Atlanta Metropolitan State College will delay opening to 10:30 a.m. All in-person classes with a start time before 10:30 a.m. are canceled.
The Atlanta University Center Consortium announced its campuses, which include Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse School of Medicine and Morehouse and Spelman colleges, would close at 4 p.m. Tuesday for non-essential personnel “due to an abundance of caution.”
(Tuesday’s closing came as the answer to a prayer for one young NCCS student!)
Cobb officials said all after-school programs and activities have also been canceled, and all students and staff should remain home.
“We understand unscheduled changes to school days impact families differently and do not make this decision lightly,” the district said in a statement. “Nothing is more important than the safety of our 107,000 students, their families, and our 19,000 team members.”
The Clayton and Paulding districts are among those that will shift to a digital learning day. Clayton said it will delay school operations for two hours Wednesday, which is also supposed to be an unseasonably cold day.
Marietta Superintendent Grant Rivera said the district will provide an update by 3 p.m. Tuesday about whether classes and after-school activities will be canceled Wednesday. Decatur also said they will share information on its social media networks about potential changes to its schedule Wednesday.
Fulton’s school district had already planned a professional learning day where students did not have to go to school. Teachers and school-based staff will work remotely while district administration staff will have a two-hour delay.
Staff writer Asia Simone Burns and Alexis Stevens contributed to this report.
