Some Midlands districts change schedules ahead of Hurricane Idalia
The first schools in the Midlands are starting to alter their schedules because of the approach of Hurricane Idalia.
The storm moving north from the Gulf of Mexico is expected to dump half a foot of rain or more on the Midlands Wednesday and Thursday as it moves across the state, forcing school districts to rework their schedules ahead of the inclement weather.
Richland 1 announced Tuesday afternoon that it will release students early on Wednesday and have them come in later on Thursday. Elementary schools will dismiss at 11 a.m., middle schools at 11:45 a.m., and high schools at 12:30 p.m., the school district announced in a press release. All after-school activities Wednesday have been canceled, but students will receive breakfast and lunch before they are released.
On Thursday, schools in Richland 1 will start on a two-hour delay, with buses arriving at bus stops two hours later than usual.
Next door in Richland 2, elementary schools will dismiss at noon Wednesday, with middle schools releasing at 12:45 p.m., and high schools at 1:30 p.m. All schools will start on a two-hour delay on Thursday, with elementary schools beginning at 9:40 a.m., middle school at 10:20 a.m. and high schools at 10:50 a.m.
Lexington 1 also announced on its website that it will dismiss students early on Wednesday and operate on a two-hour delay on Thursday. Elementary schools, including full-day preschools, will dismiss at 11:20 a.m., middle schools between 12:05 and 12:15 p.m., and high schools between 12:25 and 12:45 p.m.
Lexington 2 had already planned to make Wednesday an early-release day, and announced Tuesday that the Cayce-West Columbia will stick to a half-day schedule. Elementary schools will release at 11:30 a.m. and middle and high schools at 12:30 p.m., with all after-school activities Wednesday canceled.
Schools will also open two hours late Thursday, with all 3-year-old and 4-year-old half-day classes canceled, Lexington 2 announced.
Lexington 4, which covers the Swansea area, will release students early Wednesday on a staggered schedule between 10:25 a.m. and noon. Schools will also operate on a two-hour delay on Thursday.
“Overnight, several inches of rain along with gusty winds may produce hazardous driving conditions for the early (Thursday) morning,” the district said in a news release. “Schools will operate on a 2-hour delay on Thursday so district staff can survey road conditions and to allow buses to begin their routes during daylight hours.”
Lexington-Richland 5 will dismiss its intermediate schools at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, its elementary schools at 11:50 a.m., the Academy for Success at 12:30 p.m., middle schools at 12:45 p.m., Spring Hill High School at 12:50 p.m., and other high schools at 1:05 p.m. The district office will close at 1:30 p.m.
Schools in the Chapin-Irmo area district will also start on a two-hour delay Thursday.
Lexington 3 in Batesburg-Leesville will also dismiss early Wednesday and operate on a two-hour delay on Thursday. Batesburg-Leesville primary school will release at 11:30 a.m., followed by the elementary school at 11:45 a.m., the middle school at 12:15 p.m. and the high school at 12:30 p.m.
Kershaw County announced it will operate a “normal, delayed-start Wednesday schedule” while continuing to monitor weather forecasts for Thursday.
Sumter County schools will have a half-day attendance on Wednesday, with elementary schools dismissing at 11 a.m., middle schools at 11:30 a.m. and high schools at 12:30 p.m. Thursday will be an e-learning day in the district, the school district announced, and Friday will also be a half-day for students for professional development.
Fairfield County announced a staggered early dismissal schedule that will see all schools released between 11:30 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. Wednesday, as well as canceling all after-school activities Wednesday.
The Orangeburg County School District was the first in the Midlands to announce hurricane-related changes on Tuesday. Most elementary schools in the county will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the district announced, followed by middle schools at 12:30 p.m. and high schools at 1 p.m.
The original plan for Thursday was for schools in Orangeburg County to start on a two-hour delay. But because of the intensity of the storm, Orangeburg schools are transitioning from a delayed start to an eLearning day on Thursday, as both students and staff are told not to report to any school district buildings, which will remain closed for the day. Students and staff are expected to return to their respective schools and offices on Friday.
“Parents, please understand that OCSD does not make these decisions lightly; but based on timely information required for the safety of our students and employees, and especially our novice student drivers,” the district said in a news release.
Colleges are also being affected by the storm. S.C. State University announced Tuesday that afternoon and evening classes Wednesday will be canceled, with students and all non-essential personnel released at noon. Classes will resume at 10 a.m. Thursday, and university offices will reopen at 10:30 a.m.
In Columbia, Midlands Technical College will close and cancel all classes at 1 p.m. Wednesday, and resume classes at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
The University of South Carolina’s main campus in Columbia was placed under a tropical storm warning Wednesday, but USC said it’s still operating under normal conditions.
Columbia officials said city facilities will be closed to the public at 2 p.m. Wednesday, although public safety and other essential functions will operate as normal. The Rapid Shelter Columbia will be open Wednesday night, with transportation available at the corner of Sumter and Laurel beginning at 2 p.m. No one is allowed to walk to the rapid shelter, and must ride Route 7 bus.
Coming out of the Gulf of Mexico, Idalia (pronounced ee-DAL-ya) is expected to make landfall in Florida early Wednesday morning. But it won’t be that strong by the time the storm passes over South Carolina later in the day.
Idalia is forecast to return to a tropical storm, albeit a strong one, when it moves through the Midlands on Wednesday and Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
The greatest threats that Idalia poses to the Midlands are heavy rains, which could lead to flooding, and strong winds, according to the National Weather Service.
This story will be updated as more schools announce changes to their schedules.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 1:14 PM.
.jpg)