Schools are closed today for students

With the threat of inclement weather early Wednesday morning just at the time school buses begin ferrying students to school, Grady County School System officials decided late Tuesday afternoon to cancel school for students.
Grady County School Superintendent Dr. Kermit Gilliard convened a meeting with principals and his administrative staff at 4 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the situation.
According to information received by school system officials from the National Weather Service the worst of the weather was predicted to be experienced here between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. Wednesday.
“Our school buses begin picking up children at 6 a.m. After discussing the situation with the principals I made the decision to cancel school for students. The faculty and staff of the schools are to report at 10 a.m.,” Dr. Gilliard said.
After the decision was made, an automated call to the homes of every student enrolled in the county school system was initiated and The Cairo Messenger issued an email alert to its subscribers.
According to the superintendent, the students will not have to make up the day. Dr. Gilliard said teachers will use the day to work on lesson plans and collaborate between grade levels. Some schools are planning to use the time to make plans for the 2016-2017 school term.
“We considered just delaying the opening of school, but many of our bus drivers have second jobs so we felt the best decision was to cancel school altogether for students,” Dr. Gilliard said.