Authorities say that all Memphis-Shelby County Schools will be closed on Monday, January 22, 2024.
Officials at the school said that classes were canceled because of bad weather, bad roads, and a lack of water.
Officials say that the executive buildings in the area will also be closed.
In a statement, Interim Superintendent Toni Williams said, “We want to make sure that everyone is safe.” “We think that closing on Monday is the best thing to do after giving it a lot of thought and looking at how the buildings are, how safe the roads are, and how much water is available in the area.”
MSCS also said that the school district talked to MLGW and the Shelby County Health Department before deciding to close on Monday.
MSCS said in a statement that it chose after looking at several “critical factors,” such as:
- Availability of Water: “A boil water advisory for the whole city is still in effect.” About twenty schools don’t have running water or have low flow as of Sunday. To fix this, the District is planning to bring water and change meal plans so that people don’t have to use water sources if the warning stays in place. We’re also talking to MLGW to get an idea of how long it will take to fix the water lines.
- Conditions of the Building: “Breaks in MLGW water lines have affected the heating systems at several schools that use HVAC boilers.” Also, our grounds team checks all of our schools every day and fixes any problems right away.
- Road Safety: When it comes to road safety, “some roads are melting ice, but freezing temperatures are expected to return Sunday night, making the Monday morning commute potentially dangerous.” So, safety on the roads is still an issue.
MSCS said that its Central Office staff will work from home because its service, 901-416-5300, will still be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.