Memphis-Shelby County Schools reopen after storm, 18 remain

Most Memphis-Shelby County Schools students will return to class on Tuesday. Eighteen campuses, however, will remain closed as the district continues to recover from a weekend storm that caused widespread power outages.

District officials closed all schools on Monday, with 40 buildings still without power at the weekend's end. According to a statement on the district's website, conditions could change overnight. Families are to receive real-time updates from the district or their individual schools.

The following 18 schools will be closed on Tuesday:

Impact on the academic calendar

This closure marks the district's use of one of its limited weather cancellation days for the school year. The academic year began less than a month ago. The situation echoes a challenge from last February, when MSCS had to apply for an emergency state waiver after closing for 10 consecutive days due to a winter storm.

It is unclear how Tuesday's cancellations will affect the yearly allotment of weather days for the 18 specific schools. All district after-school activities remain canceled for Tuesday.

Cause of the closures

The local utility, Memphis Light, Gas, and Water, reported that Saturday's storm brought winds exceeding 70 mph to the region. The storm cut power to nearly 140,000 households. The company stated that full service restoration might not be complete until Thursday.

District leaders emphasized that restoring power is only the initial step. "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.

Recent precedent and state policy

A severe winter storm in January shut down city and county streets for nearly two weeks, keeping students out of school. The district's recovery was slow. Without the emergency waiver granted by the state Education Department at that time, MSCS would have been forced to extend the school year or shorten scheduled breaks to make up for the lost instructional time. This recent history shows the ongoing challenges weather events pose to the district's calendar and state compliance.

Bri Hatch of Chalkbeat Tennessee covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools.