Despite improvements in road conditions and less snow falling on Thursday, several local public school districts are set to again hold instruction online Friday for a third consecutive day — while UNC will resume normal operations beginning at 10 a.m.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools announced shortly after 1:30 p.m. Thursday that Friday will be a remote learning day for the district — with middle and high school students again conducting synchronous online learning with their teachers while pre-K and elementary students work on distributed materials. With campuses still closed to students and staff, various athletics events, including some postseason competition, are being rescheduled. As of Thursday afternoon, it is not yet clear if these events will take place this weekend.
Orange County Schools called for remote learning roughly two hours later, similarly stating that another day of online instruction is needed over concerns of slick road conditions. Students across all grade levels, K-12, will receive materials to work on away from campuses, and all previously scheduled athletics and after-school activities for Friday are canceled.
Chatham County Schools announced it will operate on a two-hour delay for students on Friday, marking a return to in-person classes after two days of remote learning influenced by the winter weather. Durham Public Schools, meanwhile, will remain in remote instruction and resume normal school operations on Monday. The district also announced its Board of Education meeting set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. will now be held remotely.
North Carolina law allows public school districts to have up to five remote learning days in an academic year, unless granted a special waiver for extreme circumstances. With Friday’s remote learning announcements, CHCCS is now down to one available remote learning day left for the academic year before having to require makeup days for in-person instruction. The district also has six hours of extra instructional time banked for further delays this year, but another major closure or full day without in-person learning would lead to a makeup date.
Orange County Schools, meanwhile, has two remaining days after Friday. During snowy and inclement weather in January, the district cancelled instruction and held makeup days of class later that month.
The winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service ahead of Wednesday’s storm officially expired Thursday afternoon after the last snowfall in the region — but a new one was started for overnight Thursday into Friday morning. While road conditions improved through Thursday and Friday’s forecast calls for more sunshine and a high temperature in the low 40s, below-freezing temperatures overnight are expected to again create dangerously slick travel conditions.
Meanwhile, UNC held no classes on Wednesday and Thursday as a result of the inclement winter weather, and will remain in Condition 2 through 9:59 a.m. Friday. At that time, the campus will return to normal operations — which includes typical class instruction. The pair of local community colleges, Durham Technical Community College and Central Carolina Community College, will continue with remote instruction for their campuses for a third consecutive day.
Featured photo via Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
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