School closings and delays: Wake, Durham and Chapel Hill to reopen Thursday
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- Wake, Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro plan Thursday reopening on two-hour delays.
- Districts weigh icy roads, bus routes and school entryway safety before reopening.
- Remote days, banked days and makeup options could force schedule changes.
Most Triangle school districts are reopening on Thursday after being closed for remote learning this week..
Wake County, Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools announced they would reopen Thursday on a two-hour delay. They’ll join Johnston County, which reopened Wednesday on a normal schedule.
“Our Operations teams have worked incredibly hard this week to prepare our schools for a safe reopening,” Chapel Hill-Carrboro said in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon. “They made a lot of progress today, and the extra time will help us address any remaining trouble spots on driveways, sidewalks, parking lots and shaded areas.”
People are still being asked to be careful on the roads as schools reopen.
“We are aware there are pockets of black ice in some areas,” Wake County said in a message to families Wednesday. “Families and staff should consider their own local conditions, and use their best judgment when traveling. Please exercise caution.”
Students in the Orange County and Chatham County school systems will continue to stay home Thursday.
Most Triangle students have not had any in-person classes this week due to a combination of remote learning days and in some cases previously scheduled teacher workdays. It’s led some parents to clamor for their children to be out of the house and back in school.
Calls to reopen schools come amid concerns that there could be more closures next week. A weekend storm is expected to bring measurable amounts of snow to the Triangle, The News & Observer reported.
How do NC schools make up snow days?
Schools are limited to five remote learning days each school year. Once they’re gone, schools can use a handful of “banked days,” extra time built into the school year to stay above the state minimum of 1,025 hours of instruction each school year.
Once remote days and banked days are gone, schools need to schedule makeup days. That could lead to schools converting teacher workdays to school days, holding classes on Saturdays or shortening spring break.
Thursday school plans
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro: Schools will operate on a two-hour delay. Start times will be 9:50 a.m. for elementary schools, 10:25 a.m. for middle schools and 10:55 a.m. for high schools.
- Chatham County: It will become an optional workday for staff, meaning no school or remote learning for students. The district is citing lingering dangerous road conditions in the northern parts of the county.
- Durham Public Schools: Schools will reopen on a two-hour delay. The district warned families to expect delays as bus drivers will be exercising great caution as they travel routes. Students have had remote instruction since Monday.
- Johnston County: Schools have been on a normal schedule since Wednesday. Students had remote learning on Monday and Tuesday.
- Orange County: Thursday will be the district’s fourth remote instruction day of the school year. The district said many important routes in the county are still unsafe for travel, with temperatures expected to remain below freezing until Thursday afternoon.
- Wake County: Schools will reopen on a two-hour delay. Students have had remote instruction since Monday. The exception is traditional-calendar schools, who had a teacher workday on Monday.
Schools cite continued icy roads
The reason school districts gave for staying with remote instruction on Wednesday included the continued threat of black ice and icy roads.
While many main roads are clear, some secondary and side roads may still be icy. School leaders say they have to consider the entire district unsafe if any part is unsafe because many students and teachers travel significant distances each day.
Multiple districts posted photos online Wednesday showing icy road conditions and crews working to clear school parking lots and driveways.
“At this time, we’re still seeing significant challenges, including sheets of ice at school entryways and on many secondary roads,” Durham Public Schools said in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon. “These conditions vary by location, and our teams are carefully considering what this means for families, staff, and bus transportation.”
Parents split on whether to reopen schools
Some Triangle parents supported the decision to not reopen schools on Wednesday.
“I drove over fully frozen roads in the northern part of the county just an hour ago, definitely the right call!” Erin Crook, a Durham parent, said in a Facebook comment Tuesday night.
A two-hour delay on Wednesday morning wouldn’t have made a dent in the road conditions, according to Sally Goodnight, a Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent.
“Just drove down Eubanks Road, and it’s still very icy,” Goodnight said in a Facebook comment Tuesday night. “From Morris Grove to the animal shelter. It’s just as icy now as it was at 10:00 this am. No way a school bus should be on the road.”
But some Triangle parents disagreed and said students should have been back on campus Wednesday.
“Disappointed with @WCPSS,” Wake County parent James Glenos said in a post on X Tuesday night. “The roads are fine. ‘Remote instruction’ day so the district gets a free day off even though conditions are fine for school, and my kids will do fake remote instruction activities Enjoy your day off @WCPSS.”
Schools need to find a better way to deal with reopening after storms, according to William Schmitz, a Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent.
“I drove to office today as many others did and had no trouble,” Schmitz said in a Facebook comment Tuesday night. “You do a 2hr delay to allow extra time... With the Weather pattern we are in we will have ice every morning somewhere.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 4:56 PM with the headline "School closings and delays: Wake, Durham and Chapel Hill to reopen Thursday."
