Two-Hour Delay for Tuesday; Normal Operations Return on Wednesday
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will operate on a two-hour delay on Tuesday, December 9, due to freezing temperatures and precipitation projected from Monday afternoon. The district notified students, families, and staff at 5:11 p.m., cautioning that road conditions could become slick after wet surfaces freeze overnight. Although snowfall was light across Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and nearby areas, the district wants to provide extra travel time to keep everyone safe.
Chief Communications Officer Andy Jenks explained that Wednesday, December 10, will proceed with regular instruction despite originally being scheduled as a teacher workday. He noted that with the recent mix of planned and unplanned absences, converting Wednesday to a standard school day helps minimize disruption to teaching and learning. He also emphasized that teacher workdays remain important for planning and professional development, and efforts will be made to ensure staff still receive that time through alternative arrangements.
Two-hour delay schedule:
- Elementary schools: start at 9:50 a.m. and dismiss at 2:35 p.m.
- Middle schools: start at 10:25 a.m. and dismiss at 3:20 p.m.
- High schools: start at 10:55 a.m. and dismiss at 4:00 p.m.
- Buses: operate two hours later than usual
Other area districts in the Triangle—Orange County Schools, Chatham County Schools, and nearby systems—canceled or delayed operations on Monday, December 8 due to anticipated road conditions. Similar two-hour delays were in place for Orange and Chatham counties on Friday, December 5 after overnight forecasts. As of 5:25 p.m. Monday, Orange and Chatham counties had not yet announced decisions for Tuesday.
In North Carolina, schools aren’t required to have a specific number of snow days. Instead, districts must meet either 185 instructional days or 1,025 total hours, with up to five remote-learning days and calendar buffers to make up missed instruction if necessary.
Winter Safety Tips
For severe winter weather, the North Carolina Department of Transportation advises avoiding travel unless essential. If travel is necessary, drive slowly, maintain extra following distance, and remove ice or snow from the vehicle before driving. If a breakdown occurs, pull safely off the road, stay with the vehicle, and call for help. Additional winter driving tips and updates are available from NCDOT.
During freezing temperatures, warming centers operate across Orange County. IFC shelters Chapel Hill each night, and the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness coordinates overnight options when temperatures dip to 32°F or below. Open locations include the building at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hillsborough, and Hillsborough Presbyterian Church.
For more winter safety guidance, Ready.gov provides tips on staying warm, conserving power, and weathering winter storms.
(Pictures and supporting local journalism credits: Orange County Government, Matherly Collins/The Daily Tar Heel.)
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