Buckets of rain are forecast for Berks County today due to the remnants of Hurricane Ida, and that has led local school districts to alter their schedules.
Seventeen of the county’s 18 districts will dismiss students early today, and the Reading School District is conducting virtual learning all day.
Districts cited the amount of rain expected to fall throughout the day and concerns about flooding, downed trees and other storm-related issues as reasons for the moves. The National Weather Service has said all of Berks will fall into the heaviest rainfall zone from the storm. The county could get as much as 4 to 6 inches.
The service termed the danger of flash flooding and river flooding as significant.
A division of the weather service, the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center, does not expect flooding of the Schuylkill River at Penn Street but does expect trouble upstream at Berne in Tilden Township and downstream in Pottstown and Norristown.
Here are the local school districts that have made schedule changes today:
- Antietam — All students dismissing at noon.
- Boyertown — Middle school dismissing at 11:30 a.m.; high school dismissing at 11:45 a.m.; elementary schools and pre-k dismissing at 12:30 p.m.
- Brandywine Heights — High school dismissing at 12:45 p.m.; middle school dismissing at 1 p.m.; intermediate school dismissing at 1:55 p.m.; elementary school dismissing at 2 p.m.
- Conrad Weiser — High school dismissing at 10:45 a.m.; middle school dismissing at 10:55 a.m.; elementary schools dismissing at 11:45 a.m.
- Daniel Boone — High school and middle school students dismissing at 1 p.m.; elementary students dismissing at 1:45.
- Exeter — Junior/Senior High School dismissing at 11:30 a.m.; Reiffton School dismissing at 12:15 p.m.; k-4 dismissing at 1 p.m.
- Fleetwood — High school dismissing at 12 p.m.; middle school dismissing at 12:45 p.m.; elementary schools dismissing at 1:30 p.m.
- Gov. Mifflin — Grades 7-12 dismissing at 11 a.m.; k-6 dismissing at 11:45; pre-k dismissing at 12:45 p.m.
- Hamburg — Grades 6-12 dismissing 11:30 a.m.; elementary dismissing at 12:30 p.m.
- Kutztown — High school and middle school dismissing at 12:15 p.m.; elementary school dismissing at 1:15 p.m.
- Muhlenberg — Grades 7-12 dismissing at 12:30 p.m.; grades k-6 dismissing at 1:30 pm.
- Oley Valley — Middle school dismissing at noon; high school dismissing at 12:15 p.m.; elementary parent pick-up at 1:15; elementary bus pick-up at 1:30.
- Reading — Full-day virtual.
- Schuylkill Valley — High school and middle dismissing at 1 p.m.; elementary dismissing at 2 p.m.
- Tulpehocken — Junior/Senior High School dismissing at 11:15 a.m.; elementary dismissing at 11:45.
- Twin Valley — High school dismissing at 12:30 p.m.; middle school dismissing at 1:15 p.m.; k-4 dismissing at 2 p.m.
- Wilson — Secondary students dismissing at 10:45 a.m.; elementary students dismissing at 11:45.
- Wyomissing — Junior/Senior High School dismissing at 11 a.m.; West Reading Elementary Center dismissing at 11:30; Wyomissing Hills Elementary Center dismissing at noon.
Source: Berkshire mont