STOKES COUNTY-- The threat of bad weather caused several school systems to close early or cancel evening activities. The weather caused Stokes County school officials to ring the last bell hours early Wednesday.
Running a school is already a fast-paced job, but when school is cancelled because of bad weather, Stokes Early College High School Principal Misti Holloway says things get a little crazy.
"We kind of go into super speed mode,” said Principal Holloway.
That's what happened Wednesday in Stokes County once temperatures dropped below freezing. Tony George, the county’s assistant superintendent and school leaders made the call to cancel classes at 12:30.
"All of our kids are getting lunch,” said George, “They're being fed."
It took a lot of work between all the bus drivers, 19 principals and the parents of the 7,000 students for classes to be cut short.
Tony George said the half days and cancellations can be inconvenient for many parents. He says there's one thing that's most important to everyone in the school system at the end of the day.
In fact several parents told Time Warner Cable News they had to leave in the middle of work which was an inconvenience, but they understood and respected the district's choice.
"It's hard for parents to find places for their kids to be, especially if daycares are closed to make arrangements to get them because of the early work," said George.
George said there would be a possibility of Thursday and Friday cancellations depending on the snowfall and temperatures.
If winter weather cancels several days of classes, he added it may affect the current semester for students.