Triangle schools waited till nighttime to cancel classes due to snow. What took so long?
To the chagrin of parents, most Triangle school systems waited until well after the snow was falling Tuesday night to decide to close schools the next day.
Wake County, Durham, Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools all waited until after 9 p.m. on Tuesday to announce they’d not have in-person classes on Wednesday. Some school officials said the weather forecast changed Tuesday night, leading them to change from a delayed opening to a school closing.
“We try not to make a call late because people need to know,” Crystal Roberts, a spokesperson for Durham Public Schools, said in an interview Wednesday. “People need to get to work.
“We try to be really considerate. Sometimes it’s a little late depending on the forecast.”
Post 9 p.m. call on closing most schools due to snow
Wake, Durham, Orange and Chapel Hill announced their decisions to close within 15 minutes of each other Tuesday night.
At 9:12 p.m., Orange County posted on X, previously called Twitter, that schools would be closed Wednesday due to deteriorating conditions.
At 9:14 p.m., Wake County posted on social media that school would be closed for students due to inclement weather.
At 9:26 p.m., Durham Public Schools announced that schools would be closed due to hazardous road conditions.
At 9:27 p.m., Chapel Hill-Carrboro announced to families that “tonight’s snowfall made the decision clear” to close school for students on Wednesday.
In contrast, Johnston County had announced at 5 p.m. that schools would be closed for students and staff. Wednesday was made a remote learning day where students learned on their own at home.
Chapel Hill, Durham and Orange had previously told families that they planned to operate on a two-hour delay Wednesday unless conditions worsened.
Roberts said the initial decision for a two-hour delay was made when only a dusting was expected. But she said that conditions changed as the night went on.
“More than 70% of our students ride the bus,” Roberts said. “It behooves us to make sure that not only our students arrive at school and get home safely, but our staff as well. Safety is the prevailing factor.”
Wake makes call after weather radar change
Unlike its neighbors, Wake County didn’t make any announcement about a delay before canceling classes.
Wake didn’t want to announce a delay and then potentially confuse people by announcing a cancellation just a few hours later, according to Lisa Luten, a district spokesperson.
As of 8 p.m., Luten said the weather radar indicated that precipitation would fall around but not in Wake County. But Luten said that changed with the updated radar picture that gave a clear enough forecast for school to be closed.
Luten said Wake’s goal is to make a decision about school closings or delays by 9 p.m.
“We want to make sure we can make the call right with the best information,” Luten said in an interview Wednesday.
Parents, teachers ask for school to be closed
As families waited Tuesday night, some took to social media to demand that a school closing announcement be made before students went to sleep.
“Why are you waiting?” the Cooper Key Team, a local real estate consultant, posted to Wake on X at 8:49 p.m. “Parents need to plan!”
Teachers were also getting antsy waiting for the news.
“Why has WCPSS not made a school closing decision?” Lisa Ellstrom, a Wake teacher, posted on X at 9:02 p.m. “Many school districts announced hours ago. Parents & teachers need to make plans. It has been snowing for over an hour in Raleigh.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 1:53 PM.
