Parents Voice Concern for Rainy Day Dismissal At Charlotte Middle School
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some parents are questioning how an area middle school handles afternoon dismissal during severe weather. A group of Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle school students were seen standing outside the school building in a severe thunderstorm last Wednesday, while they waited for their ride home.
A WCCB viewer shared a video with our reporters of a large group of JM Alexander Middle School students waiting to board buses outside during stormy weather.
The video shows many students standing outside in the school’s bus lot during last Wednesday’s severe thunderstorm, while weather conditions worsened with harsh rain and winds falling on to the heads of children. Some can be seen holding umbrellas, but most of the students were only protected from the elements by rain jackets and hooded sweatshirts.
A hand full of parents who arrived to pick up their students Monday say they couldn’t believe kids were asked to wait outside during a thunderstorm.
“I’m not happy with it. I mean, I don’t want anybody’s kid to stand in the rain. And that was a bad situation Wednesday,” said Gus Wellborn as he drove towards the school’s pick-up line.
WCCB Charlotte’s Zane Cina emailed Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to ask if they have a policy for dismissal in bad weather. A district spokesperson responded that they are looking into the matter and will respond with answers as soon as they have them.
Some parents explain they have faith rules already exist for bad weather dismissals, and hope Wednesday’s incident was a mistake.
“I’m sure that there are some rules that cover that right now. I don’t know that they need to be changed. They probably just need to be enforced,” said Wellborn.
A CMS representative responded to questions on students waiting outside in stormy weather, that response can seen below:
Last week Wednesday, in the midst of dismissal while trying to beat the approaching severe weather, students who were boarding buses were caught in the rain. Staff worked quickly to pull students back into the eighth-grade hallway, but with the fast-moving storm and high winds, students and staff did get wet. During inclement weather that presents unsafe conditions, students remain in shelter and buses are instructed to pull off the road and stop, proceed to the nearest school or delay with loading and departure until safe to proceed.
CMS continuously monitors the local weather conditions and weather patterns to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students in all circumstances. District teams collaborate to ensure essential information is communicated to schools, students and families.
