Thousands of North Georgia school students will return to the classroom on Wednesday after a day off due to the weather.
Several North Georgia schools systems, including Habersham, Gilmer, and Union, called off classes on Tuesday because of the threat of severe flooding.
While rain totals and flooding weren’t as severe as expected, taking that precaution may have prevented trouble on the roads.
“I think school being out has helped with some of the traffic and accidents,” says Habersham County Emergency Management Agency Director Lynn Smith.
The superintendents in the counties that called off school made their decisions by 8 p.m. Monday. Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper said at the time that, given the forecast, waiting until morning was not an option.
“This is not a normal event. We are dealing with a flood, snow, and now another flood within five days,” he said.
The superintendent in White County caught flak for not calling off school there. White County was among a handful of northeast Georgia counties – including Rabun and Stephens – that stuck to their normal school schedule on Tuesday.
Some parents and even a few students spoke out about White County’s decision on social media.
“Counties around us have taken action to ensure children’s safety…and white county is having buses, parents, and children travel to schools on what…a wing and a prayer????Ridiculous,” Mandy Moyers commented on Facebook.
“I believe that some (students) are overreacting a bit but it is still unsafe for anyone to drive when it is flooding,” commented White County student Samuel Shobert.
Several other school systems in Northeast Georgia, including Banks, Dawson, Fannin, Franklin, Lumpkin, and Towns, operated on a 2-hour delay.
The counties where students did attend class urged parents and student drivers to use their best judgement regarding the weather and road conditions. White County and Rabun schools instructed them to “err on the side of safety” if road conditions were unsafe.
Updated 2/1/20@5:30pm
