(This story has been updated to add new information. )
Due to potential impacts caused by Hurricane Helene , the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) announced Wednesday afternoon that schools will dismiss early on Thursday, Sept. 26 and be closed for in-person instruction on Friday, Sept. 27.
Additionally, private schools, colleges, and universities throughout Chatham County, as well as the Live Oak Public Libraries (LOPL) have begun to share operational impacts due to the storm as they all continue to monitor communications from the Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) .
This is a developing story and we will update this posting as more information about subsequent closings or changes to operations are announced throughout the afternoon and evening.
SCCPSS will dismiss early Thursday, shift online Friday
According to the district's statement from Wednesday afternoon, "to ensure there are no dangers associated with the approaching storm on Thursday and to allow families and staff time to prepare – SCCPSS will operate on an early release day on Thursday for students."
The district will shift to remote learning on Friday as all district buildings and facilities will remain closed for in-person activities. "Remote teaching and learning will take place as conditions allow," the statement said.
Thursday SCCPSS early dismissal schedules
11:30 a.m.
- All High Schools (except Building Bridges High School)
- George A. Mercer Middle School
- Godley Station K-8 School
- Building Bridges Middle School
- Learning Academy @ Herschel V. Jenkins High School
11:40 a.m.
- Middle Schools (except George A. Mercer Middle School)
- Building Bridges High School
- Wings Elementary School
12:15 p.m.
- Charles Ellis Montessori Academy
- Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts
- Isle of Hope K-8 School and Learning Academy @ IOH
- Georgetown K-8 School
- Herman W. Hesse K-8 School
- New Hampstead K-8 School
- Casimir Pulaski K-8 School
- Bloomingdale Elementary School
1:15 p.m.
- Elementary Schools (except Bloomingdale Elementary School)
- Rice Creek K-8 School
School officials asked that families monitor the district’s official communication channels, which include the parent notification system, website postings at sccpss.com , and the social media channels for
Hurricane Helene impact: Storm could bring tropical-storm-force winds, heavy rain to Savannah area Thursday
Chatham County private school updates
Here's the latest from Savannah's private schools regarding the pending inclement weather.
Benedictine Military School, 6502 Seawright Drive
Benedictine Military School announced that it will have an altered schedule on Thursday with specials period at the end of the day, which is when athletics will occur. Dismissal will be at 3:30 p.m.
Benedictine's latest Facebook post informed families that it be closed Friday but students will participate in asynchronous learning. The post encouraged students to charge computers this evening so that they can log on to "MyBC tomorrow and complete assignments."
Benedictine's Friday night football game against Ware County High School has been postponed until Monday Sept. 30 with kickoff set for 6 p.m .
Chatham Academy at Royce Learning Center,4 Oglethorpe Professional Blvd.
The Chatham Academy at the Royce Learning Center shared a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon stating it will close Thursday at 12:45 p.m. and remain closed Friday.
The statement said, "There will be NO TUTORING or ACE classes on Thursday or Friday," as well. Families will be sent updates as Chatham Academy monitors the storm.
Memorial Day School, 6500 Habersham St.
Memorial Day School will remain open on Thursday, but has canceled all after school activities, including SAM, tutoring, and athletics.
Around 1 p.m. Thursday the school shared an update on its Facebook page stating it will be closed on Friday due to the "anticipated impact of Hurricane Helene."
The update stated that "Rock Your School" activities previously planned for Friday have been moved to Monday, Sept. 30.
Calvary Day School, 4625 Waters Ave.
Calvary Day School shared an update on its Facebook page Wednesday evening stating that its campus will close effective 4 p.m. Thursday Sept. 26. It's notice stated, "All after-school activities are canceled, and both the Early Learning Center (ELC) and Calvary After-School Program (CAP) will also close at 4p.m."
Updates on Friday's schedule will be sent to families "as more information becomes available throughout the day tomorrow [Thursday]."
Savannah Country Day School, 824 Stillwood Drive
Savannah Country Day School (SCDS) officials communicated Wednesday afternoon that they are closely monitoring Hurricane Helene's path.
Due to the expected severe weather, SCDS has advised of the following changes for Thursday afternoon/evening:
- All after-school activities, including practices and rehearsals, are canceled.
- There will be no AfterCare.
- All JK-12 students need to be off campus by 3:30 p.m.
- The Little School will close early at 4 p.m.
SCDS posted an update on Facebook around 3 p.m. Thursday, stating that the school will be closed on Friday.
Prepare with sand and bags: Savannah and Chatham governments providing sand and bags ahead of Hurricane Helene
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University (GSU) posted a storm update on its University Alert Center page at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday evening stating that the university "is moving to reduced operations beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, anduntil an 'all clear' is issued." The reduced operations applies to all GSU campuses.
GSU updated the alert center at 3:40 p.m. Thursday stating that it anticipates the "all clear" to be issued Friday by 12 p.m. at which point there will be a "return to normal operations on all campuses."
Additional information about dining services, residence halls and faculty schedules are contained within the notice.
Savannah Technical College
Savannah Technical College (STC) has announced that, due to expected impacts of Hurricane Helene, the Liberty Campus in Hinesville will be closed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week.
STC's Savannah, Crossroads/Aviation and Effingham Campuses will be open Thursday morning until 12 p.m. when they will close and remain closed on Friday.
STC's Savannah campus is set to reopen Saturday Sept. 28 for regularly scheduled classes.
STC's students, faculty, and staff, as usual, should monitor email and phone messages from the college as well as check for updates at savannahtech.edu/emergency and on social media channels.
Savannah State University
Late Wednesday evening around 10 p.m., Savannah State University (SSU) provided a status update related to impacts of Hurricane Helene. The notice stated, classes would be "shifted online for Thursday, September 26, 2024, beginning at 12:30 p.m. in an asynchronous style learning environment."
A subsequent update on Thursday afternoon stated, "As a precaution, Savannah State University will continue classes and university operations remotely on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. This will ensure continuity of learning and service to our students without compromising safety." With the storm expected to subside by Friday afternoon, all SSU weekend events should be held as planned.
Ongoing updates will sent out to students and shared via the SSU Emergency Alert system, Everbridge . Students are encouraged to monitor email and Brightspace/D2L accounts for updates from professors regarding coursework.
Live Oak Libraries closed
Live Oak Public Libraries (LOPL) also announced Wednesday afternoon that all libraries will be closed Thursday Sept. 26 and Friday Sept. 27.
The public can check for further updates at liveoakpl.org or on LOPL's social media channels.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Hurricane Helene projections lead to school closings in Savannah and Chatham County
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