HERNANDO, Miss. — DeSoto County Schools announced Thursday evening that it will close schools Friday, due to the incoming winter weather.
“Let’s see a show of hands. How many of y’all would like to have a snow day tomorrow?” That is what new DCS Superintendent jokingly asked a group of students at an award presentation for a districtwide reading fair Thursday. Every student’s arm shot up in the air.
Those students got their wish.
Uselton had been up since 3 a.m., already researching the decision.
“I’m in touch with our transportation department, local meteorologists, law enforcement agencies,” Uselton said.
DCS announced the decision to close schools around 5 p.m.
The WREG Weather Experts spent Thursday fielding calls from folks in the community. Todd Demers spoke with a school superintendent in the morning about the difficult decision ahead.
“Every computer model has come into agreement,” Demers said of the weather threat.
Several districts across the mid-south announced closures for Friday on Thursday night, including Oxford School District, Germantown Municipal Schools, and Collierville Schools.
DCS parent Lisa Deluco spent part of her childhood in Alaska and is prepared for the snow.
“Fortunately for me, I have a company that’s really accommodating, and I have the vacation time to take off, so we’ll break out the sleds and have a fun day,” she said.
Uselton has kids in school himself.
“I know that, as a parent, I would like to always see a decision made the night before because it’s more convenient. People have to make adjustments with their work schedule, babysitters, things of that nature,” he said.
Uselton told teachers in an email that DCS prefers to make weather decisions before 10:30 p.m. the night before an expected closure, but the decision is always made by 5:30 a.m. the day of.