LEXINGTON, S.C. — As severe weather warnings have been issued for portions of the Midlands of South Carolina on Thursday, several area school districts have announced they will close all schools and offices on March 18, in an abundance of caution.
Classes are expected to resume a normal schedule on Friday, March 19.
The following districts will close school buildings and administrative offices:
- Fairfield County School District will operate in a Remote Learning Day capacity.
- Calhoun County Schools: Calhoun County public schools will have virtual classes Thursday due to inclement weather
- Clarendon District Two - All schools in Clarendon District Two will implement e-learning due to inclement weather
- Denmark Technical College in-person classes and operations will be suspended beginning at 11:00 a.m. Operations and instruction will resume virtually beginning at 1:00 p.m. Essential personnel will remain on campus in order to facilitate core operations. Students should plan to log on to D2L for virtual instruction.
- Kershaw County: Elementary schools will dismiss at 11:30 a.m., middle schools at 11:45 a.m. and high schools at noon. The district office will close at noon. Morning Woolard Technology Center and adult education students will attend class and dismiss at their regular times. Students in 3-year-old developmentally delayed classes will not attend. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Families of virtual students who have signed up to pick up meals this week can do so tomorrow (March 18) from 12 to 1 p.m. or Friday (March 19) from 8 to 10 a.m.
- Lexington School District 1: all staff and students will remain at home. Principals will reach out to the parents/guardians of their students with specific instructions/reminders about the learning platforms used in their students’ schools. The district is also canceling all child care programs, meetings, and events scheduled to take place at any Lexington District One school, performing arts center, field, or other facility, as well as any other district programs, athletic practices or events, adult education classes, school or district-related meetings, events, or extra-curricular activities scheduled for day or evening.
- Lexington School District 2: School buildings will be closed. There will be no athletics, clubs, activities, and/or events held on school grounds. After-school programs and adult education classes are also cancelled.
- Lexington School District 3: students and teachers will NOT participate in live lessons on Thursday, March 18th due to the fact that widespread power and Internet outages could be possible. Instead, teachers will have E-Lessons for students loaded into Google Classroom, our learning dashboard, prior to students leaving the school building on Wednesday, March 17th. If students do not have the Internet, they can still complete the E-Lesson(s) and upload/sync their work when they return to school. Please note that 4K students will receive paper packets and necessary resources to complete their work at home.
- Lexington-Richland School District 5: Students and staff will not report to school and office buildings, but Thursday will be an eLearning day for students with asynchronous (independent) learning. Information about class assignments will be communicated by teachers. Students should check for assignments through SeeSaw and Google Classroom on Thursday and email their teachers if they have questions.
- Newberry County schools and offices will be closed on March 18, 2021 due to the threat of severe weather. All school activities, including adult education classes and athletics, are canceled
- Orangeburg School District: Orangeburg County School District employees will work remotely Thursday, March 18, 2021. Students were already set to do remote learning.
- Orangeburg County Disabilities and Special Needs Board will close its Day Program sites today, March 18, 2021 due to severe weather. Regular services will resume on Friday, March 19, 2021.
- Richland School District 1: Any updates will be posted on the district’s website (richlandone.org), Richland One TV (Spectrum Cable channel 1303), Facebook (facebook.com/richlandone) and Twitter (twitter.com/richlandone), and the Richland One InfoPhone (803-231-7512). Parents also will be notified via SchoolMessenger.
- Richland School District 2: Richland School District Two will shift to eLearning for Thursday, March 18, 2021. This means all students will participate in eLearning following their school’s current bell schedule.
- Saluda County Schools - Due to potential hazardous weather conditions Saluda County Schools will operate an e-learning day for all students on Thursday, March 18.
- Sumter School District: all students will learn from home Thursday, March 18 due to the strong possibility of severe weather. Hybrid instruction will resume Friday, March 19.
The latest National Weather Service forecast includes the potential for damaging winds, tornadoes, and heavy rains. Weather officials are encouraging residents to have a plan for safe shelter during severe weather and multiple ways to monitor weather warnings.
The districts have been working with county emergency agencies and the National Weather Service to determine actions and remain apprised of the situation. Any further announcements will be made using the school district’s automated system, the district website, social media and local media outlets.
Get the latest weather information at wltx.com or download the Weather app here.