Clinch River Community School

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Schools is allowed to take eight days off due to snow and weather, according to a spokesperson for the district. After a winter storm hit East Tennessee, freezing roads and dumping several inches of snow in Knoxville, the school district took seven days off.

It will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 23 as crews continue treating roads and working to make them safe to drive on. Students in Knox County have not had to go to class since Jan. 12, when KCS closed due to the threat of high winds and a severe storm. 

It is one of several East Tennessee school districts that have had to close due to the weather, including Anderson County Schools. That school district can take ten days off in a school year and has also taken seven of them. And in Anderson County, families are wondering how so many days off may impact the future of the school year.

"For weather, this is the longest that they've been out of school," said Lyndsay McGhee, an Anderson County Schools parent. "Our driveway is on a hill, and it's a solid sheet of ice and it still is today."

She said her family has spent plenty of time together while school's been out, and some of that time has been spent reminding them that weather events like the recent winter storm are not common.

"We talk to our kids about that, and let them realize that this isn't a super common thing here in Anderson County," she said.

The Anderson County school district said if it exceeds the number of days it has to close schools, it will extend the school year. It will not cut days out of spring break, or change early-release days.

"If we do exceed those days, those three additional days that we have — we will extend the school year," said Ryan Sutton, with Anderson County Schools.

The school district said it will evaluate conditions and Tuesday and decide whether to reopen schools on Wednesday.