Students held for hours in Spalding County schools during tornado, district officials say

SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — School officials confirmed that students and staff were trapped inside several middle schools Thursday as violent weather tore through the north Georgia area.

Griffin-Spalding County School System officials notified families on social media around 2:40 p.m. that all after-school activities would be canceled due to severe weather predicted in the area, and parents should make plans to pick their students up at the end of the school day.

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In the initial post, school leaders added that the area was under a tornado watch until 7 p.m.

At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency for tornadoes and severe storms.

The school district posted on Facebook again around 6:45 p.m. with an update that students and staff remained inside four middle schools due to the roads being too dangerous to drive on.

Around an hour after that alert, GSCS closed all schools Friday.

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Sometime after 9 p.m., GSCS provided an update that students and staff were still inside the four schools.

“School Safety Director Britt and other groups of community leaders are working to provide food and drinks to the students and staff remaining in our four middle schools,” district leaders wrote on Facebook. “Emergency management officials have not given us the go-ahead to roll school buses. Many roads remain impassable, and we want to stay out of the way of emergency crews. However, if parents believe they can safely reach a school to pick up their students, they can make that choice.”

After 11 p.m., district leaders confirmed all students and staff from Carver Road Middle School and Rehoboth Road Middle School made it home; however, there were still four students trapped in Kennedy Road Middle School, and 20 students were trapped at Cowan Road Middle School.

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GSCS wrote that law enforcement officers and school leaders worked to get the remaining students home.

Sometime after midnight, the school district wrote that the final 15 students trapped in Cowan Road Middle School who had not been in contact with their families were brought to the GSCS central office for shelter.

Sometime after 2 a.m. Friday, GSCS confirmed that all students had made it home safely.

“Thank you to all parents, students, staff and first responders,” GSCS leaders said in a statement. “Also, special thanks to all the emergency workers and to school principals McGavin and Steele who have been worked with chainsaws to clear roads and driveways. Many GSCS staff members went above and beyond to care for our students.”

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