Dive Brief:
- In anticipation of the forthcoming grand jury decision on whether or not to charge Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown, schools in Ferguson, MO, are planning for the worst-case scenario.
- The Huffington Post spoke with Hazelwood School District Superintendent Grayling Tobias, who said the district would potentially use its inclement weather procedure to notify community members. Anticipating emergency school closure due to protests or riots, the district is also encouraging parents to update their emergency contact information.
- The St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office said it would give area superintendents a 24-hour advance notice if the verdict is coming on a weekend and a three-hour advanced notice if it is coming on a weekday.
Dive Insight:
Many St. Louis-area school districts postponed the first week of school in August due to violent clashes between protesters and the National Guard, who were later replaced with local police. On Monday, Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri, arguing that the Grand Jury's decision could lead to "the possibility of expanded unrest" and the declaration is meant to protect people and businesses from "violence and damage." So the idea of disruption feels very real.
This is evident in the plans of Riverview Gardens School District, which told the Huffington Post that students have been receiving more homework than usual this month in case there are potential disruptions at the end of November.
“We don’t anticipate problems," the district's communications director, Melanie Powell-Robinson, told the Huffington Post. "But we recognize there may be scenarios where we have to close, and we just don’t want to miss that academic opportunity if [students are] out of school for a day.