After two straight snow days, metro Atlanta schools are announcing plans for Friday, and many have decided to make it three in a row.
Cobb, Fulton, Cherokee and Clayton County Public Schools will remain closed.
Atlanta Public Schools initially planned to reopen, but decided just after 6 p.m. that it would remain closed, too.
DeKalb County Schools will be closed to students, but 12-month employees should report on a two-hour delay, barring any bad roads.
Gwinnett County Schools and City Schools of Decatur will open for students on a two-hour delay. Classes will end at their regularly scheduled times.
Marietta Schools will begin on a three-hour delay.
Bartow County Schools will be closed Friday, though faculty and staff are to report by 10 a.m. Additional Friday school closures include: Carroll County, Coweta County, Douglas County Schools, Newton County Schools, Walton and Paulding County.
Carrollton City Schools will have a two-hour delayed start Friday, according to the district’s website.
Other districts, such as Cherokee County School District, are still waiting to assess road conditions. Cherokee officials said a decision may not come until 5 a.m. Friday.
The district acknowledged the difficult decision in a post to its official Twitter page. The post stated, in part: “If you think I’m happy about this situation, think again. While we wait, please stay calm, do your homework, eat a milk sandwich.”
Clayton officials announced Thursday afternoon it would not reopen because of “continued icy conditions on secondary roads throughout the county combined with continued below freezing temperatures.”
“We realize that our school buses mostly travel on secondary and housing development roads and streets,” said superintendent Morcease Beasley, in a written statement. “Those roads continue to be covered with ice that makes them difficult for safe bus travel. Our desire to keep our children and staff safe led us to this decision.”
Beasley said he’s “confident” the district will reopen Monday and urged students to access online resources even though they aren’t in class Friday.
APS officials also are trying to decide how to make up some of the seven days the district has taken off, and they came up with six options to review. The school district joined other metro Atlanta school systems in closing on Wednesday and Thursday after ice and cold temperatures gripped the region.
