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DeKalb schools face parent backlash amid severe weather
DeKalb County school officials have gotten backlash from parents who say children were put in harm's way when the district waited to send a message during a Monday morning tornado warning.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County school officials have gotten backlash from parents who say children were put in harm's way when the district waited to send a message during a Monday morning tornado warning.
"You hear the crazy thunder and the lightning and the wind, and just like, it didn't make sense," Emily Johnson, a DeKalb County parent, said. "To me, the thought of a child waiting outside in the pitch black with this kind of weather going on is just so ridiculous."
But a school spokesperson stood by their decision.
"Based on the information available at the time, conditions did not meet the threshold for delaying," a DeKalb County School District spokesperson said. "The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority."
What we know:
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for DeKalb County around 6:11 a.m.
DeKalb schools' first message on Facebook wasn't posted until almost 6:30, and Johnson said she did not receive a message until about 7:00.
By the time the school district sent out a message, some parents said their kids were already supposed to be at the bus stop.
While the district monitored conditions as buses operated, many parents decided to keep their children home during the warning.
Parents grilled the school district's decision on social media, claiming that children waiting at bus stops during shelter-in-place warnings suggest safety was not the top priority.
"It would be very scary," Evangelina Johnson, a DeKalb County first-grader, said.
The other side:
Carla Parker, a spokesperson for the DeKalb County School District, sent FOX 5 this statement:
"As you are aware, many districts in metro-Atlanta took different approaches to the forecast," the statement read. "The district closely monitored the National Weather Service forecasts overnight and early this morning. We sent out a message to parents and staff last night and again this morning. Based on the information available at the time, conditions did not meet the threshold for delaying. Our transportation and school teams remained in communication throughout the morning and continued to monitor conditions as buses operated. The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority."
The Source: This article is based on original reporting by FOX 5's Rob DiRienzo. The DeKalb County School District and the National Weather Service provided additional information.