Schools plan to hold classes, then send students home
By From staff reports
Published in News on February 24, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Leilani Sauls, 7, sticks her tongue out to catch snowflakes at Tommy's Road Elementary School this morning while she and other students wait for their ride home. Wayne County school officials made the decision to release students early as winter weather moves through the area. "I've already done my homework so now I can play in the snow," Leilani said.
As winter weather rolled into Wayne County this morning, so did the dismissal of Wayne County Public Schools at 9:30 a.m.
With the National Weather Service calling for one to three inches of snowfall in the area, the school system's director of communications Ken Derksen said forecasts changed throughout the night, preventing school officials from making a firm call on today's school schedule until early this morning.
"We kept in close contact with emergency services and weather services throughout the night, and the forecast continued to change," Derksen said. "A lot of this stuff wasn't supposed to hit until later in the day, but it came early."
School staff will be kept on hand throughout the day until each child is picked up from school by their parents or sent home on buses.
"We will have staff on hand to stay with the kids until they all get home," Derksen said.
No decision has been made on whether or not schools will be in session Wednesday.
The school system already is in the predicament of having to make up nearly a week of missed days due to bad weather last week.
Temperatures will dip to a low of 27 degrees tonight, with an accumulation of up to a half inch of new snow possible throughout the night.
Highs will be close to 43 degrees on Wednesday, with the National Weather Service calling for snow accumulation of two to four inches after 11 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Raytrell Caldwell with the Boys and Girls Club of Goldsboro said the organization operates on the same schedule as Wayne County Public Schools, and will therefore be closed today.
Anticipating bad weather, WAGES sent out meals early today.
"We sent them out a little before 10 a.m., and normally meals would be delivered between 10:30 and 11 a.m.," said Brownie Doss, director of older adult services.
If the weather allows tomorrow, not only will meals be delivered, but emergency supplies will also be taken to recipients in case of bad weather Thursday, Mrs. Doss said.
Anyone with a four-wheel vehicle who could help deliver the meals during the bad weather is asked to call WAGES Meals on Wheels at 919-580-1790.