Kanawha County in West Virginia was the only county in the entire state to hold in-person courses on Wednesday morning, when temperatures dropped below zero.
The Kanawha County Board of Education agreed to delay the start of school by two hours in order to ensure that students could get to school safely in spite of the extremely cold weather, according to the West Virginia Department of Education website.
On the other hand, every other county in the state either canceled school completely or changed to a non-traditional school day because of the extreme cold.
On Tuesday night, the temperature dropped well below zero and stayed in the teens for most of Wednesday afternoon. This raised concerns about the safety of children who were waiting for school buses in such dangerously cold weather.
The frigid weather was a hardship for families in Kanawha County, even with the delayed start. This was especially true for families with young children, who would have to endure the terrible cold in the early morning hours.
Kanawha County Schools posted on Facebook to address the situation in response to worries about the weather and the safety of kids.
The district stated that they decided to hold in-person lessons in order to provide support to children during “challenging days like this.”
The post stressed that for many pupils, school is not just a place to learn but also an important source of warmth and food.
The district highlighted that its schools provide meals that some children may not have access to otherwise and that they also offer a safe and comfortable environment for students during the day.
The district recognized that keeping schools open was important, but they also stressed that safety was their number one concern.
The post comforted parents that if their child was unable to go to school because of the severe weather, it was perfectly reasonable.
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Parents were encouraged to reach out to their child’s teacher or school in order to arrange any makeup work or assignments for the day.
The district also stated that any student who missed school because their bus did not run due to the weather will have their absence excused.
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