On Monday morning in DeKalb County, a mother says her two kids, ages 9 and 5, were not safely inside a school building when a severe storm rolled through. Instead, they were riding out the weather on a school bus parked in a Walmart lot near Murphy Candler Elementary. She told reporters she almost jumped in her car to get them after a string of panicked texts from her son. No students were hurt, but families say the episode left them rattled and demanding clearer communication the next time the skies turn ugly.
According to WSB‑TV, Lisa‑Marie Carrol said her son called her from the bus and she could hear children "yelling and screaming" in the background as the storm moved through. The station also reported that a DeKalb County School District spokesperson said conditions did not meet the district's threshold to delay school and that transportation and school teams were monitoring the situation throughout the morning.
Under the district's Emergency Weather Plan, the superintendent is expected to decide on closures or delays by 5:30 a.m., weighing road conditions, building status, staff availability and weather forecasts, according to the DeKalb County School District. Families are told to look for updates through the district website or SchoolMessenger, and if there is no closing notice posted, school is considered open.
Parents Want Clearer Rules
Parents say watching kids shelter on a parked bus while storms swept through the area made them seriously question how that policy plays out in real time. As noted by WSB‑TV, nearly 30 school systems across north Georgia delayed start times, moved to virtual learning or canceled classes outright that same morning. Parents in DeKalb are pointing to that contrast as they call for clearer, public criteria about when district officials decide to slow things down.
What the Weather Agencies Recorded
The National Weather Service tracked a fast-moving line of storms through north Georgia and issued a Special Weather Statement for parts of the region as it passed, warning of damaging winds and pockets of severe weather on the morning of March 16, 2026. Forecast and hazard pages highlighted an elevated risk level that prompted several districts to adjust their schedules that day, according to the National Weather Service Atlanta office.
How the District Decides and What Comes Next
District policy states that transportation conditions, road reports and building status all factor into any recommendation to delay or cancel, with the superintendent holding final authority. Officials say transportation and school staff stayed in contact as buses ran their routes. Parents, however, say that is not enough. They want faster alerts to families and a specific, publicly stated threshold for when schools will delay or close in severe weather.
No injuries were reported among students, but the scare is not fading quietly into the background. Families say they plan to press district leaders for a fuller explanation and clearer rules at the next available opportunity.
