School closings and delays: Wake, Durham, Chapel Hill to open on a delay Friday
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- Wake, Durham, Chapel Hill and Chatham announce two-hour delayed school openings Friday.
- Orange County extends remote learning for one more day amid lingering road concerns.
- Districts cite black ice and road safety after winter storm; in-person classes resume.
Most Triangle students will have a delayed school opening on Friday while other students will still have another day of remote learning.
Wake County, Durham Public Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Chatham County announced that they’ll open school on a two-hour delay on Friday due to lingering concerns about road conditions. Orange County students will have one more day of remote learning on Friday.
Triangle students have missed multiple days this week due to the impact of last weekend’s winter storm. Thursday marked the first day of in-person classes this week in several districts, including Wake County, Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro.
Concerns about icy roads Friday
Concerns about black ice along some roads and on school property had been cited this week for not having normal school days.
“Although the roads in Chatham County have improved greatly over the course of the week, drivers should use caution and be alert for any leftover icy spots and/or possible black ice issues,” the district said in an online message Friday. “In addition, please dress appropriately for the continuing cold temperatures.”
Friday will be the first day of in-person classes this week in Chatham County.
In Wake County, the district attributed Friday’s two-hour delay to lingering ice in some locations and the desire to give its transportation team and schools additional time to prepare for a safe arrival of students.
“Please continue to exercise caution when traveling to and accessing our campuses,” Wake said in its announcement. “We appreciate your patience with bus transportation, as it may take longer for students to safely board and exit buses.”
Chapel Hill-Carrboro said the same reasons that led them to have a two-hour delay on Thursday is causing them to have another delay on Friday.
“Overnight temperatures are expected below freezing yet again, keeping ice and slick spots around in some areas,” Chapel Hill-Carrboro said in its announcement. “We want drivers, staff, students and families to have more time (and daylight) to be cautious.”
Orange County Schools said many routes for buses and motorists remain unsafe for travel to reopen schools. Instead, it will have it’s fifth and final remote learning day allowed under state law on Friday.
Preparing for next storm
Friday’s school delays and closings come as a major winter storm could hit the Triangle over the weekend. It could lead to more school closures and delays next week.
Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency ahead of the next storm.
In advance of the storm, Chatham County said all Friday after-school activities will be completed by 8 p.m. All school activities on Saturday are canceled.
Orange County said it would let families know about Monday school plans as early as possible.
This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 5:04 PM.
