Another CMS snow day Tuesday: About 50 schools still slippery

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will be closed to students again Tuesday. In a decision announced shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, the district said about 50 schools remain icy despite efforts to clear them.

“While many roadways and CMS campuses are clear, weather reports indicate there may be black ice and refreezing, which could cause roads to be unsafe during the early morning,” the statement said. “Despite day-long efforts to remove ice from parking lots and walkways .. there is still significant amounts of dangerous ice in many areas.”

CMS employees are expected to report to work at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The weekend storm left some parts of Mecklenburg County heavily iced and others virtually clear, leading to the usual second-guessing and wrangling over the district’s decision to close Monday.

Some took to social media to suggest that CMS should have at least opened schools in the southern part of the county, where the storm was mostly a no-show and roads were clear.

But CMS officials say their students, faculty and bus routes don’t fit into tidy geographic zones. Magnet schools pull from wide areas, bus routes cross the county and teachers at neighborhood schools often live outside the school zone. Opening schools in clear areas while other parts remain icy would still force some students and employees to take risks or miss school, they say.

Wake County, the state’s largest district, announced at 12:30 p.m. that schools would remain closed Tuesday.

Iredell-Statesville Schools will also be closed to students Tuesday, with an optional work day for teachers.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Another CMS snow day Tuesday: About 50 schools still slippery."