KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Wednesday marked the second snow day in a row for Knox County students after the school district announced they could stay home following a winter storm that brought several inches of snow and frigid temperatures. It was another in a series of delays and closures.
The previous week, parents were suddenly notified on Jan. 11 that students were being released early due to dangerously high winds. Schools stayed closed the following Friday for the same reason.
The brunt of another winter storm hit Knox County on Monday — Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday. Then, on Tuesday, school leaders said students should stay home because of the snow and hazardous driving conditions that persisted through Wednesday, giving students another day off.
"This is one of those once-in-a-decade storms," said Superintendent Jon Rysewyk. "Extreme cold temperatures have really caused that additional challenge for us."
Schools will also be closed on Thursday because of hazardous driving conditions. Another round of wintry weather is expected late Thursday and into Friday as well. Schools will be closed then, too.
"By doing these days, it burns five of our eight days. So, we still have three," said Rysewyk.
Knox County Schools can only take eight snow days per year, according to state law. If it uses all eight days, the school district needs to start looking at ways to make up for it. It may turn service days into school days, eliminate planning days or cancel early release days. It can also use two virtual days as school days.
"Any other, you know, additions on to the year or, you know, getting into different kinds of times that are scheduled off I think that would definitely be something we would try to avoid," said Rysewyk.
In the meantime, students who rely on schools for both nutritional programs and educational support programs are left without a way to access them.
"We don't have a formal way that we can actually step in and do that," said Rysewyk.
The end of the school year is around four months away when students will need to take their final assessments. Rysewyk said back-to-back closures will not throw students off track to succeed on those tests.
"I don't think, you know, missing four or five days is really going to throw us off that much," he said.
KCS aims to have students return to class on Monday as long as schools are cleared and road conditions improve.