by Malcolm Butler
All Lincoln Parish public schools as well as AE Phillips Laboratory School, Cedar Creek School and Lincoln Prep will be closed today (Wednesday) due to the severe weather that has rolled through north Louisiana over the past 12-18 hours.
Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University also made the decision late Tuesday night to cancel classes for today although campus services will stay open.
Lincoln Parish Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Kip Franklin said that the storm created plenty of issues. He believes the road conditions are too dangerous this morning for travel by school buses.
“Parish crews were out monitoring roads and clearing debris from trees down,” said Franklin late Tuesday night. “A lot of roads are going underwater and it may get worse before it gets better. The schools are closing mostly due to road issues and power outages. Choudrant Elementary had power outage issues.
“The biggest issues are roads going underwater. We don’t want buses driving on those because it creates a lot of issues. It’s the right call by the schools and by Ricky Durrett. Most of the other parishes around us have closed their schools like Jackson, Union, Ouachita and some others further east.”
Lincoln Parish School officials sent out communications to parents late Tuesday night alerting them of the closings.
“We are closing all schools because of the weather,” said Lincoln Parish School Board Superintendent Ricky Durrett Tuesday night. “We have power outages all over. We have trees down on roads and we have more flooding coming. We aren’t taking chances of putting buses and kids on roads in the morning in the dark, raining conditions.”
Both Tech and Grambling State provided communication to its faculty, staff and students late last night.
Louisiana Tech statement: “Due to severe weather and power outages, classes are cancelled tomorrow, Wednesday, April 10. Food services and other campus amenities will remain open. Staff unable to report to campus should coordinate with immediate supervisor.”
Grambling State statement: “Due to road closures and standing water in the surrounding area, campus will be closed and classes will be canceled on Wednesday, April 10. McCall Dining Center will continue to provide meals during their regular operating hours. Tiger Express will remain open during normal hours.”
