Why were classes canceled in CMS Tuesday? Photos offer some clues

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials said icy areas on more than 50 of its campuses led the district to cancel classes for a third day Tuesday after the recent winter storm.

And a series of photos show some of the challenges the district says its facing.

CMS posted a photo gallery on the district’s Facebook page showing icy parking lots, entrance ways, sidewalks and ramps to mobile classes at several district schools, including Piney Grove Elementary, Ridge Road Middle and Myers Park High. View the full gallery at http://on.fb.me/20qIuDg

A district spokeswoman says the photos were taken Monday.

“Despite a phenomenal effort by our custodial and building services staff, the icy conditions at many of our schools remains a safety risk to students and faculty. Here is what we're seeing all across the district,” the district says in an intro to the gallery.

In announcing Tuesday’s closure, CMS said its crews had been about to clear more than 100 school campuses, but others had icy areas “that pose a safety challenge.”

Not everyone is happy about the closure.

“What exactly were you doing all weekend?,” one person posted under one of the CMS photos of a snow and ice-covered ramp. “4 days to clean up a couple of inches.??? What are the custodians doing? Certainly not cleaning up after students. Give them a shovel.”

But, another person cautioned earlier, “I see a slip, fall and head injury hazard right there.”

CMS said its maintenance and support crews planned to keep working Monday night and Tuesday to clear campuses. April Bethea

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Why were classes canceled in CMS Tuesday? Photos offer some clues."