See Columbus area schools closing in preparation for heavy rain, wind from Hurricane Helene
Five school districts, one private school and two colleges in the Columbus area announced they will be closed or conduct remote learning in preparation for the heavy rain and wind expected from Hurricane Helene.
The storm is forecast to bring dangerous weather Thursday night into Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Here are the local schools that have made changes to their schedule:
Muscogee County School District
The Muscogee County School District announced on its Facebook page that students “will not report to school” Thursday and Friday, but nothing was mentioned about whether classes will be conducted via remote learning. MCSD communications director Kimberly Wright, however, told the Ledger-Enquirer that MCSD will conduct remote learning those days.
MCSD also canceled all after-school activities and sports for Thursday and Friday. But varsity football games were moved to Wednesday and Saturday.
Harris County School District
All Harris County School District operations are canceled for Thursday and Friday.
“Given the severity of the forecast, including the risk of heavy rainfall, high winds, and flooding, it would be unsafe for us to proceed with school operations,” HCSD superintendent Justin Finney said in a news release. “We are under both a Tropical Storm Warning and a Flood Warning, with predictions of 6 to 10 inches of rain, sustained winds of 40 mph, and gusts up to 60 mph. School buses cannot operate safely in these conditions, and the risk of downed trees and power lines further complicates safe travel.”
Harris County High School’s home football game against Northside has been moved to Saturday at 2 p.m.
Finney added, “Please stay safe and take this storm seriously.”
Chattahoochee County School District
The Chattahoochee County School District will be closed Thursday and Friday.
No remote classes will be conducted. All district activities are canceled.
Phenix City Schools
Phenix City Schools will be closed Thursday and Friday while classes are conducted remotely via e-learning.
Teachers and administrators will be available by email or Schoology.
PCS asks parents and guardians to ensure their children complete their hard-copy (K-2) or digital assignments for both days as instructed by their teachers. Completing their assignments will determine their daily attendance.
Russell County School District
The Russell County School District will be closed Thursday and Friday. No remote classes will be conducted.
All after-school activities scheduled for Thursday and Friday are canceled, but the Russell County High School home football game against Valley scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. will be played as planned.
St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School
St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School will be closed Thursday and Friday. Teachers will communicate virtual learning assignments via email to parents of students in prekindergarten through fourth grades and in Google Classroom for grades 5-12.
All athletic events scheduled for Thursday and Friday are postponed. The varsity football game against Strong Rock will now be played Saturday at noon on Deimel Field. Homecoming activity updates are at www.BeAViking.com.
Columbus State University
Columbus State University is modifying its operations and classes for Thursday and Friday.
All classes are canceled. The university will close at noon Thursday and remain closed Friday. Only essential employees are required to report to work while campus is closed.
Columbus Technical College
Columbus Technical College will close its campus and conduct virtual learning from Thursday through Saturday.
All in-person classes and campus activities are canceled, and the college will operate remotely during this period. Students are encouraged to continue their coursework online through the virtual learning platform. Faculty and staff also will work remotely.
This is a developing story and will be updated. Check back to ledger-enquirer.com for more information.
