Michigan: A winter storm that began Monday and has continued to increase across US. It has disrupted plans for thousands of students across the US, leading many districts to announce closures or delayed starts on Wednesday, December 10.
Meteorologists warned of widespread heavy snowfall, with some areas bracing for nearly 20 inches. States including Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Minnesota have seen the most impact as local officials adjusted school schedules to keep students safe.
Michigan schools closed
In Michigan, ABC affiliate WZYZ confirmed that numerous public school districts shut down for the day. Districts such as Allen Park, Birmingham, Center Line, Clawson, Dearborn, Detroit Edison Public Academy, Detroit Public Schools, Ecorse, Farmington, Ferndale, Fitzgerald, Fraser, Hamtramck, Lake Shore, Lakeview in Macomb, Lamphere, L’Anse Creuse, Livonia, Madison in Oakland, Marysville, Northville, Southfield, Van Dyke, Warren Woods, and Wyandotte canceled in-person classes. Alongside these, many private, charter, and Montessori schools opted for closures, partial schedules, or remote learning as conditions worsened.
Full closures in Virginia
Virginia experienced major interruptions as well. According to Richmond-based WRIC, Amelia, Brunswick, Buckingham, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna, Goochland, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Petersburg City, Prince Edward, Prince George, and Powhatan counties all declared full closures for Wednesday. In central Virginia, schools took a more cautious approach with delayed openings, as Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Hanover, Henrico, King William, Louisa, New Kent, Richmond City, and Sussex County announced two-hour delays to their start times.
North Carolina avoided widespread shutdowns, though several districts altered schedules. CBS 17 reported delayed starts across Granville, Halifax, Northampton, Vance, and Warren counties, with delays ranging from two to three hours depending on local snowfall and road conditions.
Limited closures in Minnesota
Minnesota saw only a few full closures. Bring Me The News noted that Global Academy in New Brighton, Princeton Schools, and Royalton Schools were the only districts to halt operations entirely. However, many others opted for delayed starts as road crews worked to clear snow.
Schools across Aitkin, Ashby, Battle Lake, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Bemidji, Blackduck, Brainerd, Cass Lake-Bena, Crosby-Ironton, Eden Valley-Watkins, GFW, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Hinckley-Finlayson, Isle, Kimball, Little Falls, Menahga, Mid-State, Nay Ah Shing, Onamia, Ortonville, Park Rapids, Parkers Prairie, Pelican Rapids, Pequot Lake, Perham/Dent, Pillager, Pine City, Pine River/Backus, Red Rock Central, Sebeka, United South Central, Upsala, Verndale, Wadena-Deer Creek, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley, West-Central Area, and Wheaton all operated on two-hour delays. Three others, Staples-Motley, Urban Academy Charter School in St. Paul, and Watershed High School, shifted to e-learning for the day.