How weather impacts school: SCS will decide to close schools by - WMC Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee
"We have 30,000 kids that ride the bus. We want to make sure they have safe passage."
Porter said if weather hits when they are transporting kids, they don't want to make the call right then, because it could cause a panic and make the situation worse.
Porter stressed the decision to cancel is more complicated than most people think. He said it's not just about whether parents want their child in class, it's about the district's responsibility to thousands of students throughout Shelby County.
"About 44 percent of our children live in households that make less than $10,000 a year. So for a lot of our students, this is their only meal. We don't want to close schools and not let them have that opportunity to be in a warm safe environment and have meals--especially on a Friday. Some of these won't even eat until the next Monday."
That's sad. So the school in Memphis has become a shelter for underprivileged students.
