Lexington, Richland schools to go online-only Thursday due to severe weather forecast
The threat of severe weather in the Midlands on Thursday has prompted several Columbia-area school districts to cancel in person classes.
Lexington 1, Lexington 2, Lexington 3, Lexington 4, Lexington-Richland 5, Richland 1, and Richland 2 are closing school buildings, and students will switch exclusively to e-learning, officials said Wednesday.
The districts will be taking classes online with a weather-related e-learning day for all students and staff.
There is a moderate-to-high risk of severe weather — including tornadoes, wind gusts exceeding 75 mph, thunderstorms and damaging large hail — across the entire Midlands, according to the National Weather Service office in Columbia.
The greatest threat will be from noon to 4 p.m., which is the usually the same time as midday and afternoon bus routes.
“As always, our concern for the safety of our students and staff drives this decision,” Lexington 1 spokeswoman Mary Beth Hill said in a news release.
All adult education, child care, extracurricular, and after-school activities — including sports practices and games — have been canceled by the six school districts, officials said.
Lexington-Richland 5 officials said teachers will communicate information about class assignments, and students should check for assignments through SeeSaw and Google Classroom.
Lexington 3 teachers will not offer live instruction, and lessons will be pre-loaded because of expected power and internet outages, the school district said.
Students who usually receive breakfast and lunch at school are being sent home with meals Wednesday, Lexington 4 spokeswoman Lisa Ingram said.
At Lexington 2 schools, no student meals will be available on Thursday, and curbside pickup of student meals for Virtual Academy students will be moved to Friday, spokeswoman Dawn Kujawa said in a news release.
Kershaw County schools and offices will close early, with elementary schools dismissing at 11:30 a.m., middle schools at 11:45 a.m., and high schools and the district office at noon, spokeswoman Mary Anne Byrd said. Breakfast and lunch will be served, but all after-school and extracurricular activities have been canceled.
Newberry County School District said all schools and offices will be canceled.
Aiken County Public Schools will be closed, and no e-learning classes will be offered, district officials said.
Lexington 1 plans to have a regular school day for students and staff on Friday, Hill said. For elementary students, that is a face-to-face day. For middle and high school students, it is scheduled to be an e-learning day, but should the severe weather change that the district will send out updated information.
Richland 1 canceled in-person Thursday classes at roughly 2 p.m. Wednesday, the district said in a release.
“Due to the forecast for severe weather and the possibility of tornadoes, Richland 1 schools and administrative buildings will be closed Thursday, March 18,” district spokeswoman Karen York said in an email.
As of 3 p.m. neither Midlands Technical College nor the University of South Carolina has announced a change to their Thursday plans.
Richland 2, which announced its schedule change after many of the other school districts, had been consulting with Richland County EMS and monitoring the weather before deciding whether the district would change its schedule, spokeswoman Libby Roof told The State.
“All students will participate in e-learning following their school’s current bell schedule,” said Richland 2 spokeswoman Ishmael Tate.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 1:11 PM.
.jpg)