Will school be back in session on Monday?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — This week, state officials asked people stay home if they could, and school districts around Middle Tennessee took that message seriously.
Monday, Jan. 22, is just days away, however, and the decision as to whether or not school will resume is still up in the air.
The overall message from many schools is to expect schools to be open until told otherwise.
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News 2 contacted several schools for an update on the plan to determine if school will be in session on Monday.
Robertson County Schools told News 2 they will be driving on the roads Sunday evening before making any final decisions.
Murfreesboro City Schools said they plan to look at the weather radar on Sunday before making a decision.
Wilson County Schools said the main focus Monday is the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and parents.
“We don’t want to put anybody in jeopardy,” Public Information Officer Bart Barker with the Wilson County School District said. “We are talking bus drivers, families, our teen drivers, you name it; we don’t want to put anybody in harm’s way. So if we feel it is necessary to use a day, then we will do that. As we look towards Monday, yeah, the likelihood is very low that schools would be in session.”
Wilson County Schools have used four inclement weather days and have eight remaining.
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Metro Nashville Public Schools had six snow days built in to start the year and used four. They have two more inclement weather days remaining. If there is a future need for school closures due to inclement weather, the next step is to use make-up days before school extends further into the year.
“We just have to adjust accordingly as we move forward and make sure that we are continuing to give students a great education, getting them in the classrooms as much as possible, but also we want to allow people to plan ahead for their summer,” Public Information Officer for Metro Schools Sean Braisted said.
For now, some teachers and staff are taking advantage of the snow days.
One teacher in Wilson County spent her snow days encouraging students to read a book with the word “snow” in the title or read with a snowman they built.
Check out the News 2 Severe Weather Resources Guide
“I have gotten some really adorable pictures from my students’ parents of them just reading in the snow, just having a good time but also getting in some reading,” said Amanda Sims, a fifth grade ELA teacher at Gladeville Elementary.
Barker decided to share school cancelation updates creatively. Instead of just posting to the website or sending an email, he took to the streets to create a full broadcast announcement through X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Sometimes you have to humanize things and say, ‘Okay, let me explain this in a way that hopefully our families can understand from me just speaking to them parent-to-parent,” Barker said. “And maybe in situations where we can be light-hearted, have some fun with it.”
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Barker was formerly a reporter with News 2, and he said he wanted to use those skillsets to have fun with the announcement.
Parents and students can visit our School Closings and Delays page for updates on school closures.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
