Some Clark County schools delay, close after severe storms, possible tornadoes
Feb. 28—Many schools in Clark County announced two-hour delays Wednesday morning or closed for the day because of the severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes that moved across the area Wednesday morning.
Tornado touchdowns were reported in Clark County — one was reported at 4:54 a.m. to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Wilmington, spotted southeast of Springfield, one was reported at 4:56 a.m. about four miles southeast of Springfield, and the NWS reported at 5:01 a.m. that radar confirmed a tornado southeast of Springfield moving toward South Vienna.
Clark-Shawnee Local, the Northeastern school campus and Southeastern Local are all closed today.
"(We) will be closed today due to the impact of recent storms including road closures and downed power lines in our district. There are significant portions of our district that cannot be accessed by vehicles. First responders are asking that we limit traffic in key areas as electrical pole repairs are made and debris is removed from roadways," a post on Clark-Shawnee's Facebook page stated.
The Northeastern school is closed today "due to unsafe road conditions caused by downed trees, power lines and road closures near Plattsburg," according to a post on the district's Facebook page.
However, the Kenton Ridge school will be open after the two-hour delay, buy will not offer morning latchkey.
The district cannot provide transportation to students who live on the Northeastern side of the district because of the road closures, and parents that can't get their students to the Kenton Ridge campus have an excused absence, said a comment from the district on the post.
"Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff," the post stated. "We encourage everyone to exercise caution when traveling and be mindful of any potential road hazards."
Southeastern Local School is also closed today because of road closures in the area, according to a post on the district's Facebook page.
Clark-Shawnee, Northeastern and Southeastern were initially on a two-hour delay but shortly changed to being closed.
Other area schools on a two-hour delay include Greenon and Tecumseh Local.
"We were fortunate to have little damage in our district due to the storm. Our thoughts and prayers are with the eastern side of Clark County today," according to a post on Tecumseh's Facebook page.
Global Impact STEM Academy was the only local school to operate with normal operations. A post on it's Facebook page said they are aware many of the districts were delayed so buses would be delayed. However, students who were late to school because their district of residence was delayed will not be held against them.
