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Most Memphis-Shelby County students will return to classes Tuesday, but 18 campuses will remain closed as the district recovers from a weekend storm that caused widespread power outages.
MSCS officials closed schools Monday, with 40 buildings still without power at the end of the weekend, according to a statement on the district’s website. Conditions could change overnight, the statement said, and families will be updated in real time by the district or the school itself.
These are the schools that will remain closed Tuesday:
- A. B. Hill Elementary School
- A. Maceo Walker Middle School
- Alcy Elementary School
- Balmoral Elementary School
- Colonial Middle School
- Fox Meadows Elementary School
- Germanshire Elementary School
- Hollis F. Price
- Ida B. Wells Academy
- Kirby High School
- Norris Achievement Academy
- Oakhaven Elementary School
- Oakhaven High School
- Oakhaven Middle School
- Sherwood Elementary School
- Sherwood Middle School
- Willow Oaks Elementary School
- Wooddale High School
The district has already used one of its limited weather cancellation days for the school year, less than a month after classes began. In February, MSCS had to apply for an emergency waiver after closing school for 10 days in a row due to a winter storm.
It’s unclear how Tuesday’s cancellations will affect the yearly weather days for the 18 affected schools.
All after-school activities in the district remain canceled for Tuesday.
Local utilities company Memphis Light, Gas, and Water wrote in an emailed statement that Saturday’s storm brought winds above 70 mph to the region, cutting power to nearly 140,000 households. The company said full service might not be restored until Thursday.
MSCS leaders said restoring power is only the first step toward reopening schools.
“Our teams must also ensure HVAC and other critical building systems are operating properly, traffic routes are accessible, and schools are safe and ready for students and staff to return,” the district said in its statement.
A January winter storm shut down city and county streets for nearly two weeks, keeping Memphis students out of classrooms as the region slowly recovered. Without the emergency waiver granted by the state Education Department, MSCS would have been forced to extend the school year or shorten scheduled breaks to make up for lost time.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
