COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning along the west coast of Florida as a major hurricane before moving up along the East Coast.
In South Carolina, the storm brought heavy rain to the Midlands, with some areas receiving between 4 to 6 inches of rain. Some school districts in the area are announcing late starts or e-learning days as a result of Idalia. Here is a list:
Calhoun County Schools: Thursday will begin late, staff report at 10 a.m., students report to public schools at 11 a.m., lunch will be served.
Central Carolina Technical College (CCTC): All CCTC campuses will open on a delayed schedule at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31. Any updates will be announced through the Emergency Notification System (text, email, phone call), social media and the college's website - cctech.edu.
Note that 9:55 a.m. classes will start at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31.
Claflin University: Claflin University administrative offices and classes will resume regular schedules on Thursday, August 31, at 11 a.m.
Columbia College: All classes, campus activities, and offices are currently scheduled to resume normal operation on Thursday, August 31 at 10am.
The Student Union Dining Hall will remain open for service to our residential students. J. Drake Edens Library will reopen at 10am on Thursday (8/31).
Fairfield County Schools: Fairfield County Schools will operate on a half-day schedule on Wednesday. All after-school events and activities, including after-school care, are canceled on Wednesday:
- Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science and Fairfield Elementary dismissing at 11 a.m.
- Geiger Elementary, McCrorey-Liston School of Technology, and Kelly Miller Elementary dismissing at noon; Gordon Odyssey Academy dismissing at 12:05 p.m.
- Fairfield Middle, Fairfield Central High, and Fairfield Career and Technology Center dismissing at 12:20 p.m.
Kershaw County School District (KCSD): On Thursday, August 31, 2023, KCSD schools and offices will be opening on a two-hour delay. This means school start times are two hours later than normal. School bus riders should report to their bus stops two hours later than their usual times.
Students in three-year-old preschool special needs programs will not attend school on Thursday, August 31. Morning Woolard Technology Center students will attend classes on a two-hour delay. The Woolard Technology Center Child Development Center will operate on a two-hour delay.
Breakfast and lunch will be served on Thursday.
The delay on Thursday gives district and transportation officials time to assess schools, the road conditions and wind speeds before buses start running their morning routes.
Laurence Manning Academy: Thursday August 30, will be an e-learning day.
Lee County School District: Lee County School District will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
Lexington One School District: Lexington One will switch to e-learning for Thursday, August 31, 2023, instead of operating on a two-hour delay. This decision is based on the uncertainty of the conditions of the roads and extent of power outages in the morning.
Lexington Two School District: With forecasts that could increase the potential for severe weather here in the Midlands, and in an abundance of caution, Lexington Two schools will move to an eLearning day on Thursday, August 31.
Because the instructional day is continuing remotely on Thursday, we will assess conditions in deciding whether after-school extracurricular activities and athletic events, primarily at our middle and high schools, will occur as scheduled. We will update families and staff through our schools and the districts on Thursday.
Lexington Three School District: Lexington County School District Three announces that Thursday, August 31st will be an eLearning Day for students and staff members across the district due to the potential for severe weather resulting from Hurricane Idalia.
Lexington Four School District: Lexington Four, in coordination with other Lexington County school districts, will transition to an eLearning day for all schools, Thursday, August 31, 2023.
After consultation with emergency management, the National Weather Service, and other Lexington County districts, we will transition from a delayed start to eLearning Thursday.
Coaches and sponsors will be in contact with their students regarding after school activities and athletics.
Lexington -Richland Five School District: All School District Five schools will transition to an eLearning day on Thursday, August 31, 2023. The FIVE virtual program will move from synchronous learning to eLearning as well.
Teachers will post assignments to Google Classroom or Seesaw accounts by 10:00 am Thursday morning for asynchronous learning. Asynchronous learning involves students completing assignments independently at their own pace throughout the day. Teachers will continue to support students during asynchronous learning by providing feedback, responding to questions, and reviewing assignments when in-person learning resumes. All students will have up to five (5) days to complete assignments.
All after school childcare programs are canceled on Thursday, August 31, 2023. All School District Five campuses and offices will be closed during normal business hours on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties will return to normal operations tomorrow, September 1, 2023, which will be a “B Day” for high school students.
School District Five has completed an assessment of all buildings and facilities and has determined that middle and high school campuses will be able to open at 1:00 pm today, August 31, 2023, for extracurricular activities. Coaches, sponsors, and directors will communicate as necessary to confirm whether games and/or practices will continue as planned
Midlands Technical College: The college is expected to reopen and classes resume at 9:30am, Thursday, August 31.
Morris College: The college will resume classes and normal operations at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
Newberry School District: will operate on a normal schedule for Thursday August 31.
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College: The college will reopen at 11am Thursday. Classes will be held beginning at 11am as scheduled.
- eLearning Day for Thursday, August 31, 2023: Due to the intensity of the storm and expected 5-8 inches of rain, we are transitioning from a delayed start to an eLearning day on Thursday, August 31, 2023. We expect that a significant number of roads will still be impassable on Thursday morning, primarily in the eastern portion of our school district. Students and staff are not to report to any OCSD buildings, which will remain closed for the day.
- Return to School on Friday, September 1, 2023: Students and staff are expected to return to their respective schools and offices on Friday, September 1, 2023, following the regular schedule.
- Afterschool Programs and Athletic Events: All afterschool programs and athletic events, including practices and games, will be canceled on Thursday, August 31, 2023
Richland One School District: Richland One schools will operate on a two-hour delayed start Thursday, August 31.
Buses will pick up students two hours later than their normal pickup times (for example: If a student is normally picked up at the bus stop at 6:50 a.m., the student will be picked up Thursday at 8:50 a.m.). Breakfast will not be served Thursday due to the delayed start, but students will be served lunch.
Burton-Pack Elementary will not hold classes on Thursday due to a water outage. Students and teachers should not report to school.
Richland Two School District: On Thursday, August 31, all schools will start on a two-hour delay. This means that students should report to bus stops and schools two hours later than usual. Elementary begins at 9:40 a.m. Middle schools will begin at 10:20 a.m. High schools will begin at 10:50 a.m.
South Carolina State University: South Carolina State University will close offices and cancel all classes beginning at noon today (Wednesday, Aug. 30), and continuing through Thursday, Aug. 31, for safety during heavy rains, strong winds and possible power outages. Only essential employees should report to campus. Non-essential employees are instructed to work remotely if possible. Residence halls and off-campus housing facilities will remain open. Student dining services will be available at the Washington Dining Hall, and shuttles to and from off-campus residences will be in operation until 9 each night. Additional security personnel will be in place through this period. Students are encouraged to:
- Remain on campus and be inside their residence halls by 10 tonight.
- Shelter in place during the storm’s peak periods while staying away from windows.
- Notify their residence hall advisors if they elect to leave campus.
- Avoid the use of elevators due to the risk of power outages.
Students who see flooding or wind damage are encouraged to email workorders@scsu.edu or call 803-596-6030.
Sumter School District: . Thursday, August 31 will be an eLearning day for all students in Sumter School District. This means schools and office buildings will be closed, and all activities, including athletic events and field trips, are canceled. Because we are an approved eLearning district, this day will not have to be made up, and lessons and assignments will be posted in Schoology. Students will complete eLearning assignments later if they are unable to participate due to power outages, lack of internet service, or other barriers.
Friday, September 1 is a School Level Professional Learning Half Day. Elementary schools will dismiss at 11 AM; middle schools will dismiss at 11:30 AM; and high schools will dismiss at 12:30 PM.
All schools and offices will be closed Monday, September 4 in observance of Labor Day.
USC Aiken: Operations at the University of South Carolina Aiken will resume at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, August 31.
USC Sumter Campus: The campus is set to reopen at 10am on Thursday, August 31.
Voorhees University: Will return to normal operations at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, August 31st.
V.V. Reid School: The school will return on Thursday August 31 and will be on a two-hour delay opening at 8:30 a.m.
Wateree Community Actions Head Start & Early Head Start Centers in Clarendon, Lee, Sumter, and Kershaw counties will have an E-learning day on Thursday 8/31 and have a 2-hour delay on Friday 9/1.
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