Hurricane Helene causes SC schools, colleges to change plans for Friday classes
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Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene is gaining strength and is forecast to track north toward SC where it will bring heavy rain & strong winds to the Midlands.
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With Hurricane Helene barreling north, and severe weather expected in the Midlands, several area school districts are adjusting their plans and class schedule for Friday.
Just before 10 a.m. Thursday, Richland 1 officials announced that all of their schools and administrative offices will be closed Friday, which now will be an e-learning day for students.
“Heavy rainfall and high wind gusts from Hurricane Helene are expected to impact the Columbia area Friday, posing hazardous travel conditions,” Richland 1 officials said.
In addition to shifting classes, all after-school activities and events that were scheduled for Friday have been canceled, Richland 1 officials said. That includes the College and Career Expo for Richland 1 juniors and seniors that was scheduled for Friday morning at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
Richland 1’s varsity football games that were scheduled for Thursday and Friday have been rescheduled for Saturday. At Memorial Stadium, Dreher will play Camden at 11 a.m., while A.C. Flora plays York at 4:45 p.m.
In an 11 a.m. game at Stadium at W.J. Keenan, Eau Claire will face Pelion, while Columbia High plays Swansea at Bolden Stadium at 11 a.m.
Lower Richland and W.J. Keenan played their games Wednesday, while C.A. Johnson has an open date this week.
Other school districts
Some other Midlands school districts have also adjusted their plans for Friday.
▪ Lexington-Richland 5 officials said all schools and offices will close Friday and district students will switch to an e-learning day.
District officials said they will continue to monitor the impacts of Hurricane Helene to the Midlands, and further announcements are possible.
▪ Richland 2 officials said because of the anticipated severe weather from Hurricane Helene, all schools, centers and administrative offices will be closed Friday, which has shifted to an e-learning/remote work day.
Additionally, all district activities and events for Thursday have been canceled.
▪ Lexington 1 officials said district schools will switch to e-learning on Friday because of weather impacts from Hurricane Helene.
All of Friday’s extracurricular activities, including those that require travel, will be suspended until 3 p.m.
▪ Lexington 4 officials said after consultation with the National Weather Service and Lexington County Emergency Management, it will transition to an e-learning day on Friday. Students will need to complete their e-Learning assignments by Oct. 3, according to officials.
Coaches and sponsors will be in contact with their students regarding after-school activities and athletics.
▪ Sumter School District officials said Friday will be an e-learning day for all students and staff as schools and office buildings will be closed. All after-school activities, including athletic events and field trips, have been canceled for Thursday and Friday.
Students who are unable to participate because of power outages, lack of internet service, or other issues will be able to complete their e-learning assignments at a later time, district officials said.
▪ Kershaw County School District officials announced they are switching to an e-learning day on Friday, saying all school buildings and offices will be closed, including childcare programs.
▪ Orangeburg County School District officials said all after-school activities scheduled for Thursday have been canceled.
Friday will be an e-learning day for students and staff, district officials said.
▪ Lexington 2 officials are making changes to Thursday’s schedule, announcing that all after-school activities will conclude no later than 5 p.m.
Additionally, in an abundance of caution, Lexington 2 schools will move to an e-learning day on Friday, and all afternoon and evening activities — including athletic events, extracurricular activities, after-school programs and adult education classes — are canceled.
▪ Ben Lippen School officials said all after-school programs, events and activities for Thursday have been canceled, while the school also will be closed on Friday.
▪ Lexington 3 officials said there will be no classes on Friday, but that’s because the district’s students were already scheduled to be out of school as part of the previously planned Enrichment Week.
▪ University of South Carolina officials said a change has been made to their plan for classes. Beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, and continuing through Friday, all classes will be virtual.
Additionally, USC’s Columbia campus on Friday will only remain open for essential employees. Normal campus services will remain available to students, including dining, health services and access to virtual academic support services.
▪ Midlands Technical College officials said that all of its campuses will close Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and remain closed on Friday. Midlands Tech is expecting to resume normal hours on Monday.
▪ Clemson University officials said that the school’s upstate locations will close at 7 p.m. on Thursday and evening classes will be online at the discretion of instructors. The status of university classes and operations for Friday will be communicated later. Clemson’s football game against Stanford on Saturday remains scheduled for 7 p.m. Changes regarding student wristband distribution will be communicated via the athletics ticket office.
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This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 10:05 AM.
