*This story was updated on January 18, 2024.
Due to the deep freeze that continues to grip the city and hazardous road conditions, Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) will remain closed on Thursday, Jan. 18, and Friday, Jan. 19.
According to the National Weather Service, bitter cold temperatures will persist Thursday with a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain expected.
“The forecast of piercingly cold wind chills and slick roads would make a slippery commute not only for staff and carpoolers but also for students waiting at bus stops. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, schools will remain closed,” said Interim Superintendent Toni Williams. “As we continue in this deep freeze, we encourage everyone to stay home, stay warm, and stay safe.”
Across the District, there are approximately 300 bus routes and 23,000 bus riders. Many residential streets and sidewalks along those routes remain unplowed, creating hazardous conditions for students walking to school and drivers. Because MSCS anticipates some inclement weather days, each school year, the District builds stockpile days into the schedule, and we remain comfortably under that threshold.
Report Card Day has been postponed until Tuesday, Jan. 23, and our support staff will work to reschedule games and extracurricular activities. During these snow days, families seeking activities for their children are encouraged to check out our enrichment packets at scsk12.org/commitment/resources.
The District has worked proactively to winterize schools and increase facilities staff to minimize the effects of inclement weather. This is the first year since the merger of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools that the District has hired a plant manager for each school, bringing extra expertise and capacity to our facilities team. Nationally, the recommended life span of a school building is 40 years. The average age of school buildings in MSCS is 64 years old, and aging buildings are less energy efficient and require more money and personnel to maintain.
“The members of our facilities teams are the real MVPs. Using their MSCS work trucks, they have inspected schools on a regular schedule during this freezing weather and activated at a moment's notice,” said Chief of Business Operations Julius Muse.
“We’ve also made better use of energy-management systems to monitor water temperatures throughout our schools, giving an early alert of freezing pipes. Thanks to this meticulous planning, our buildings have fared well in these frigid conditions,” added Muse.
Central Office staff will continue to work remotely Thursday and Friday, and the District’s helpline, 901-416-5300, remains available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. for families seeking support.