Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – After more than a week of snow and ice keeping students at home, school district leaders across Northeast Arkansas are spending Sunday closely monitoring road conditions as they consider whether classes can safely resume on Monday.
Snow and ice have lingered on roads since last Saturday, forcing schools — including Arkansas State University — to cancel classes throughout the past week. While many main roads have improved, district officials say hazardous conditions remain on numerous neighborhood streets, county roads, driveways and parking lots, creating ongoing transportation concerns.
Several districts have shared updates on social media Sunday morning, signaling that final decisions are still hours away.
Valley View School District officials said campuses have been cleared and are ready to welcome students back but emphasized that many neighborhood roads remain icy. Superintendent Roland Popejoy and the district’s transportation staff plan to continue monitoring conditions throughout the day. An official decision regarding school on Monday, February 2 — including the possible use of modified bus routes or snow bus stops — is expected by 6:00 p.m. Sunday.
Westside Consolidated School District also has not yet made a final call. District leaders said the superintendent and transportation director are spending Sunday afternoon driving bus routes across the district to assess road conditions firsthand. A decision will be announced once those evaluations are complete.
Buffalo Island Central School District has already announced that classes will be held Monday, but with changes to bus transportation. The district shared adjusted snow and emergency bus routes and designated pickup and drop-off locations, noting that some roads remain unsafe for regular bus travel.
Other area districts — including Jonesboro, Nettleton, Brookland, Bay and Riverside — had not announced decisions as of noon Sunday and had not yet posted updates regarding Monday classes.
Arkansas State University indicated in a Friday social media post that leaders expected classes to resume Monday. Ridgefield Christian School also indicated in its Friday post that the school would reopen Monday. “We can’t wait to see your smiling faces Monday,” read a Ridgefield social media post.
School leaders across the region continue to stress that student and staff safety remains the top priority as they balance the desire to return to normal schedules with lingering road concerns.
Parents and students are encouraged to continue monitoring official district communications. All school announcements, delays and closures will be posted as they are released on the JonesboroRightNow Closings Page later this afternoon and evening.