Upper Arlington City Schools is delaying its first day of school following heavy damage and power outages from storms throughout the community.
According to a Facebook post from the district, the first day of school on Aug. 12 is canceled "due to storm damage and continuing power outages at our schools and throughout our community."
"We know many families have been impacted by today’s storms. Please take care of yourselves, your families and your neighbors," the post said.
Many Upper Arlington students were scheduled to begin returning to school on Aug. 12 on a tiered schedule.
If power is restored, the district plans to resume school Thursday with this adjusted schedule:
- Aug. 13: Kindergarten orientation; first day for grades 1–6 and 9
- Aug. 14: Kindergarten orientation; school for grades 1–12
- Aug. 17: First day of pre-K at Burbank Early Childhood Center; all students in grades K–12 in session
All
morning activities are also canceled, including high school practices and training sessions. School campuses, including the high school athletic stadium, will remain closed tomorrow as crews continue cleanup and debris removal. The district said it will provide another update Aug. 12 after assessing its buildings and will share information about rescheduling canceled events.
The decision comes after heavy storms on Aug. 10 and 11 brought heavy rains, high winds and a potential tornado brought damage to central Ohio, with more severe weather expected over the next day into Aug. 12.
An Upper Arlington Police Division officer was uninjured after a tree fell on their cruiserthe morning of Aug. 11 amid severe storms in central Ohio.
The tree fell on the city police van near Riverside Drive and McCoy Road during a stretch of storms that caused wind gusts of 82 miles per hour and flipped a car in Columbus.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Upper Arlington cancels first day of school after storm damage
