Hurricane Irma: Georgia School Systems Announce Closures (UPDATED)

ATLANTA, GA -- News of Hurricane Irma's steady churn towards Georgia has schools systems closing their doors and cancel classes to prepare for the severe weather that will blow through the state. Several systems have announced their plans to close up shop before the Category 4 hurricane makes its way up the spine of the Peach State.

The Griffin-Spalding County School System said Friday it will be closed on Monday, Sept. 11 and Tuesday, Sept. 12, according to a message on its Facebook page. In east Georgia, the Richmond County School System said it will also shutter its doors on Sept. 11 through Wednesday, Sept. 13 in anticipation of having to house hurricane evacuees from the Savannah-Chatham County area. It's also cancelled after-school activities for those dates.

Of course, the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System have cancelled classes for Friday, Monday and Tuesday so families in the district can make preparations to cooperate with the mandatory evacuation due to Hurricane Irma, its website noted. Other coastal Georgia counties have also cancelled classes and will remain closed through Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Other systems that have announced closures for Sept. 11-12 include Butts, Henry, Pike, Lamar, Monroe and Rockdale counties. The University of Georgia and Georgia Gwinnett College have each called off classes in connection to Irma.

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While it has not made any decisions about classes, Forsyth County Schools said it will cancel after-school activities and athletics for Monday, Sept. 11. This includes all after-school childcare programs as well as adult classes at the system's Board of Education/Professional Development Center.

"We will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout the weekend," Forsyth County said. "Any additional cancellations will be made if and when necessary."

More closures are expected to roll in over the weekend, as Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday expanded his state of emergency declaration to include an additional 64 counties. That now includes 94 out of the state's 159 counties that are under the emergency declaration. Mandatory evacuations for coastal areas east of I-95 and all of Chatham County remain in place and contraflow on I-16 will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, the state said.

Closer to home, metro Atlanta and north Georgia school systems are closely watching Irma's path and are waiting to make any final decisions. The Cartersville City and Bartow County school systems said they expect to make decisions on school closures and extra-curricular activities cancellations by Sunday afternoon.

The Cherokee County School District and Fulton County School System both said they are monitoring weather updates and have not made any decisions at this time. For its part, the Cobb County School District also said it's keeping a close eye on weather forecasts and the impact Irma could have in the area. Parents, students and guardians in that system are encouraged to keep an eye on the system's website, social media accounts and other communication outlets for additional information.

Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgia's largest school system, said on its Facebook page that any changes to next week's school schedule will be relayed using its normal channels -- SchoolMessenger, websites, social media and local news media -- "once we have more information and those decisions are made."

"Any schedule changes for extracurricular activities next week will be communicated by the district and shared by coaches and sponsors as decisions are made," the system added.

The DeKalb County School District is pretty much saying the same thing, adding that it's working with local first responders and other community stakeholders to "proactively prepare for any contingencies."

"In the event classes are cancelled or the schedule is altered, DCSD will notify you through our normal communications channels, including our mobile app, this website and social media," it added.

To the west in Douglas County, that system's administrative staff members are staying abreast with the latest information concerning Hurricane Irma.

"If there are any changes to our regularly scheduled calendar we will make a call to all parents and staff, post information on our website and social media, send it out to NotifyMe subscribers and provide it to Metro Atlanta news outlets.," it added on its website.

At the post-secondary level, Georgia Gwinnett College said will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 due to the projected inclement weather. It notes its scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 12 for normal operations. Of course, any changes to this schedule will be relayed to its students, faculty and staff by 5 a.m. Sept. 12, it said on its website.

For the latest on Hurricane Irma's impact on Georgia, click here.

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