Greenville County Schools will remain closed through Friday, October 4

Greenville County Schools will remain closed through Friday, October 4. Schools and offices will be closed to the public, there is no eLearning, and all field trips are canceled. Decisions regarding other activities including athletics will be announced on Wednesday.

The decision to close for the rest of the week is due to a lack of stable power and safe transportation routes. Widespread power outages, numerous traffic signals not working, and downed power lines and trees make travel unsafe for in-person learning. The lack of power, Internet access, and unreliable cell phone reception across the community makes eLearning inconsistent or impossible.

GCS buses run 38,000 miles per day on approximately 10,000 miles of roads. A significant number of routes are impassible, and the District must evaluate approximately 370 individual bus routes. In a snow or ice storm, based on experience, we know the most likely spots where issues will occur. In this situation, we have no way of knowing where trees and power lines have fallen until all routes are assessed. The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging people to stay off of the road as much as possible, and we recognize that car and bus traffic to schools would make it more difficult for first responders and utility crews.

We will continue to evaluate options for the week of October 7, which could include eLearning or in-person school. While no decision has been made regarding next week, the plan will be dependent upon power, Internet accessibility, safe transportation, and food supplies. Once power is restored, cafeteria food supplies must be restocked, which will take a minimum of 48 hours.