LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Central Arkansas school districts are asking students and staff to prepare to potentially pivot online this week due to an ice storm headed towards the area.
The Little Rock School District is asking its students and teachers to be prepared going into Wednesday. There is potential for the district to go virtual on Thursday.
"We're making sure kids and staff bring their Chromebooks and laptops home," Superintendent Michael Poore said.
Poore said staff will be out early Wednesday and Thursday morning monitoring roads. If it's too icy for buses to drive, that is when the district will pivot online.
"This has been a storm that changes dramatically, so everybody needs to just pay attention over the next 48 hours," Poore said.
Dr. Tony Thurman, the Superintendent of Cabot Public Schools, said this is the first time this year the district has started doing road checks. The district is also preparing to potentially go virtual.
"So many of our parents live in Cabot but work in Little Rock, so we have to think about them getting back as well and how can we safely make that transition with parents trying to get home to be with our kids," Dr. Thurman said.
The Pulaski County Special School District is giving teachers a heads up to take home any necessary materials to do their job.
"There might be a possibility of a pivot for Thursday," PCSSD spokesperson Jessica Duff said.
In the case the ice causes power outages, Duff said hot spots are available for students to use. If outages are widespread -- the district will readjust.
"That can always be reassessed to make it an actual snow day or ice day and we make up that time at the end of the year," she said.
A spokesperson for the North Little Rock School District said in a statement:
"We are constantly monitoring the weather. We have crews who go out in the mornings that will communicate road conditions. If they seem treacherous, we will make the call."
All school districts said they will likely make the call to pivot to virtual by 5 a.m.