Schools, governments announce changes ahead of winter weather

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Lowcountry school districts, colleges and government offices are announcing schedule changes this week ahead of anticipated winter weather.

School Districts

Charleston County School District

The Charleston County School District will operate on a two-hour early dismissal schedule on Tuesday, officials said on Facebook. Kaleidoscope, extracurricular activities, and all after-school programs scheduled for Tuesday are canceled.

Charleston County Schools will shift to eLearning and remote work on Wednesday. All school and district buildings will be closed for the day. Teachers or school administrators will provide specific instructions.

Any students or parents who need help with eLearning tools or platforms should contact the district’s IT Help Desk at 843-308-8181.

Berkeley County School District

Berkeley County Schools say the district will follow a half-day dismissal schedule on Tuesday.

Students will complete eLearning Day assignments on Wednesday via Schoology or SeeSaw. The student’s teacher or school will provide specific information about assignments.

After-school care programs, activities, and athletics, to include practices and games, are canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Dorchester District Two

Dorchester County School District Two schools will follow their early release schedule on Tuesday.

Elementary schools will release at 11 a.m., middle schools will release at noon and high schools, Rollings Middle School of the Arts and RISE Academy will dismiss at 1 p.m. All children in the Leap after-school program should be picked up by 2 p.m.

All afterschool activities are canceled for Tuesday and the district office will close at 2 p.m.

The district will operate on an eLearning day on Wednesday.

Dorchester District Four

Dorchester County School District Four has elected to take both Tuesday and Wednesday as eLearning days. Officials say they plan to continue monitoring the situation to make further decisions later in the week.

Beaufort County School District

Beaufort County Schools will have a half-day on Tuesday. Elementary schools will dismiss at 11:45 a.m. and middle and high schools will dismiss at 12:45 p.m.

The district scheduled an eLearning and remote workday for Wednesday.

District buildings will be closed. All after-school activities on Tuesday and Wednesday are canceled.

The district will announce a decision on Thursday’s schedule by Wednesday afternoon.

Colleton County School District

Colleton County Schools will operate on an early dismissal schedule on Tuesday. All after-school activities, including athletic activities, are canceled on Tuesday.

The Policy Committee Meeting and combined Committee of the Whole and Regular School Board Meeting have been rescheduled for Jan. 28.

The school district will be closed on Wednesday. March 7 will be the designated make-up day for Wednesday.

All after-school activities, including athletic events, are canceled. CALC will follow the district schedule.

Georgetown County School District

The Georgetown County School District will operate on a half-day schedule on Tuesday. Elementary schools will dismiss at 11 a.m. Intermediate schools will dismiss at 11:15 a.m. Middle and high schools will dismiss at 12: 15 p.m.

All afterschool activities, including athletic competitions and practices, are canceled or postponed for Tuesday.

The district’s school board work session scheduled for Tuesday has been canceled.

The district plans to announce its schedule for Wednesday on Tuesday afternoon.

Orangeburg County School District

Orangeburg County Schools will operate on an early dismissal schedule on Tuesday. Elementary schools will dismiss at 11 a.m.; middle/high schools will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. and high schools will dismiss at noon.

All scheduled athletic events and extracurricular activities are postponed until further notice.

The district will monitor weather conditions and provide updates for the rest of the week.

Williamsburg County School District

The Williamsburg County School District will operate on regular hours on Tuesday but there will be no extracurricular activities.

There will be no school for Williamsburg County students on Wednesday. The district will observe an Inclement Weather Day and all schools and district offices will be closed.

Leaders say they will make a decision on Thursday based on Wednesday’s conditions.

Independent & Private Schools

First Baptist School of Charleston

First Baptist School of Charleston will dismiss at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday and the James Island campus will dismiss at 2 p.m. All after-school and extracurricular activities are canceled. Both campuses will be closed and will switch to eLearning on Wednesday.

Learn4Life High School

Learn4Life High School will hold eLearning days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Live virtual class starts at 8 a.m. and noon.

School is scheduled to resume on Thursday on a regular schedule.

Palmetto Christian Academy

Palmetto Christian Academy will operate on a half-day schedule on Tuesday.

The school’s campus will be closed on Wednesday and students will switch to remote learning.

Colleges & Universities

Charleston Southern University

Charleston Southern University will switch to online learning starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday.

Campus offices will close at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Students scheduled to attend in-person classes should login to Blackboard for further instruction. Though all on-campus, in-person events are canceled, dining services will remain available for residents.

With the exception of essential personnel and the dining hall, all offices and buildings will be closed on Tuesday evening through Wednesday. Employees should discuss remote work options with their supervisor, including school district early release schedules for those with children.

CSU plans to resume normal operations on Thursday.

College of Charleston

The College of Charleston will follow regular class and work schedules and modes on Tuesday with in-person classes beginning at 8 a.m. and regular campus business hours beginning at 8:30 a.m.

But all campus-based academic and business operations will close at 4 p.m. Students should seek guidance from their professors and teaching faculty regarding academic work for classes scheduled at 4 p.m. and later.

School officials plan to release schedules for Wednesday no later than Tuesday afternoon. If the weather forces a closure of campus on Wednesday, the College will prioritize maintaining academic and work continuity in a remote/virtual environment to the extent possible.\

Residence halls will remain open, and dining and necessary support services will continue to be provided.

Trident Technical College

Trident Technical College will move to virtual classes starting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday.

Online and scheduled online meeting classes will continue as planned. Students enrolled in in-person classes should check D2L or their college email for specific instructions from their instructors.

Government Offices

Charleston City Government

City of Charleston offices will close at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and will remain closed on Wednesday. All public meetings scheduled for these days will be rescheduled.

Garbage and trash collection will proceed as usual on Tuesday until road conditions worsen. No collection will occur on Wednesday.

Collection will resume on Thursday pending fair road conditions.

City of North Charleston

City of North Charleston operations will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21, and Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Municipal Court will follow the City of North Charleston closures.

All recreational and cultural arts programs and activities are canceled for Tuesday, Jan. 21, and Wednesday, Jan. 22. Facilities such as athletic buildings, community centers, senior centers, and Park Circle Playground will remain closed during these times.

City-collected recycling services will be suspended this week. Yard debris and bulk collections will not be picked up this week.

Trash collection services will operate on the following adjusted schedule:

• Monday’s route: Collected on Tuesday, January 21
• Tuesday’s route: Collected on Thursday, January 23
• Wednesday’s route: Collected on Friday, January 24
• Thursday’s route: Collected on Saturday, January 25

City of Beaufort Government Offices

The city of Beaufort will close all non-emergency operations at 1 p.m. Tuesday and will keep them closed on Wednesday.

Berkeley County Government Offices

Berkeley County Government offices will close at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. This will also include the following facilities: The Berkeley County Courthouse, Convenience Centers, Library branches, Cypress Gardens and Berkeley Animal Center.

The Berkeley County Landfill will close at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. There will also be no Bond Court session Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Businesses and Facilities

Charleston County Library

The Charleston County Library’s branches and offices will close at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. All book drops and material returns will also close.

Charleston GI

Charleston GI offices and surgery centers will close at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and remain closed on Wednesday. They plan to reopen on Thursday.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare

Roper St. Francis Healthcare says all freestanding emergency departments will remain open during the winter storm.

But ‌Express Care locations will close no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday. Hours may be affected on Wednesday.

‌Roper St. Francis Physician Partners practices will be closed Wednesday for in-person visits. Offices will contact patients about rescheduling appointments or moving patients to virtual appointments. Clinics will remain open on Tuesday.

‌Surgical procedures starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday and on Wednesday will be restricted to urgent and emergent. Outpatient procedures will be rescheduled. Infusion procedures starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday also will be rescheduled.

South Carolina Aquarium

The South Carolina Aquarium will close at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and remain closed on Wednesday. Tuesday’s last entry time will be 1:30 p.m.

As conditions develop, the hours of the closure could shift, aquarium officials say.

The Live 5 Weather team declared Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as First Alert Weather Days because of wintry weather expected over the Lowcountry.

Click here to download the free Live 5 First Alert Weather app.

Live 5 First Alert Meteorologist Joey Sovine says snow is likely to begin falling over much of the Lowcountry starting late Tuesday afternoon. The snow and potentially a wintry mix of sleet will continue into the overnight hours.

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