Monitoring for metro Atlanta, north Georgia school closings as Helene approaches

ATLANTA — Helene officially became a hurricane on Wednesday and is expected to continue to gain strength as it travels over the Gulf of Mexico.

While landfall should occur in Florida's Big Bend region sometime Thursday, it will likely be after midnight and in the early morning hours of Friday that Georgia sees an impact..

RELATED: Tropical Storm Helene | Live updates as storm approaches Gulf of Mexico

Ahead of Helene's arrival, many school districts in Georgia have canceled school, in some cases for both Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.

We're monitoring for school closings and statements by school districts that update their status. This page will track the viewing area around metro Atlanta and north Georgia, for closings farther south you can check in with 11Alive's Macon sister station WMAZ.

Keep in mind, some districts (among them Cobb County and City of Decatur Schools) are on Fall Break and won't be having school Thursday or Friday anyway.

Metro Atlanta and north Georgia school closings ahead of Helene

Closed

• DeKalb County School District: Closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• University of Georgia: Main campus closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Kennesaw State University: Campuses will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Habersham County Schools: Closing on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27
• Atlanta University Center (Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, AUC Library, Morris Brown College): Campuses will close early at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26 and will have operate remotely on Friday, Sept. 27.
• Atlanta Public Schools: Closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Gwinnett County Public Schools: Closed on Friday, Sept. 27 and will have a remote learning day on Thursday, Sept. 26.
• Clarke County School District: After-school activities closed on Thursday, Sept. 26, and school closed on Friday, Sept. 27.
• Clayton County Public Schools: The district said it will now be closed on Friday, Sept. 27. Thursday, Sept. 26 will be a virtual learning day. All athletics events, extracurricular activities and school system-related events and programs will be canceled for Thursday, Sept. 26, Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28.
• Cherokee County School District: The district said it will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Fulton County School System: Closed for Friday, Sept. 27 and all extracurricular activities are canceled on Thursday, Sept. 26.
• Calhoun City Schools: Closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Douglas County School System: Classes, after-school events and activities will be canceled on Friday, Sept. 27. Schools will operate as normal on Thursday, Sept. 26.
• Griffin-Spalding County School System: All school district operations will be canceled on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Henry County Schools: Closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Gordon County Schools: Closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Banks County Schools: Closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Troup County School System: Closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Rockdale County Public Schools: Closed only for Friday, Sept. 27. The district is doing a virtual learning day Thursday, Sept. 26.
• Butts County School System: Closed only for Friday, Sept. 27. Regular schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26.
• Lamar County Schools: Closed only for Friday, Sept. 27. Normal schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26.
• Dawson County School System Board of Education: Closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Hart County Schools: Closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27
• Newton County Schools:  Closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Jasper County Charter System: The district said it is closed on Friday, Sept. 27 and will have an early release on Thursday, Sept. 26, from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. All extracurricular activities for Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be postponed at a later date.
• Lakeview Academy in Gainesville: Closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept.  27.
• Lyndon Acadamy in Holly Springs: Closed on Friday, Sept. 27.
• Dalton Public Schools: Closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27
• Brenau University: Campuses in Gainesville and Norcross closed Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27
• Madison County School District: Closed on Friday, Sept. 27. Early release at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26. All extracurricular activities canceled. 
• Coweta County School System: School and all school events canceled for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Bartow County School System: Schools closed Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. Extracurricular activities canceled for Thursday.
• Floyd County Schools: Schools closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. After school activities for Friday and Saturday are TBD.
• Rome City Schools: Independent learning days for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. Students and staff do not report to school. After-school activities canceled for Thursday and Friday.
• Pike County Public Schools: Schools closed for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Monroe County Schools: School closed for Friday, Sept. 27. Early release at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26. After-school activities canceled for Thursday, including Homecoming Parade. Still assessing Friday night Homecoming football game.
• Paulding County School District: School closed Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. Extracurricular activities canceled, no decision yet on Friday football game.
• Murray County Schools: School closed Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. No decision yet on extracurricular activities and practices.
• Clarke County School District: School closed for Friday, Sept. 27. Normal schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26 except after school activities canceled.
• Barrow County School System: School closed for Friday, Sept. 27. Normal schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26. After school activities canceled both days.
• Oconee County Schools: School closed for Friday, Sept. 27. Normal schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26. Extracurricular activities canceled both days, and football games rescheduled.
• Marietta City Schools: Closures to schools and programs detailed here.
• Jefferson City Schools: School closed Friday, Sept. 27. Normal schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26. All extracurricular activities canceled, including Homecoming football game.
• Fayette County Schools: School is closed Friday, Sept. 27. Normal operations on Thursday, Sept. 26, but extracurricular activities canceled. Friday night and weekend extracurricular activities may still take place.
• Putnam County Charter School System: School is closed Friday, Sept. 27 and all extracurricular activities are postponed.
• Hall County School District: In a Thursday update, district officials made the decision that there will be no school from home on Friday. 12-month employees for the district are not to report to work and should await further information from their immediate supervisors. 

Online/remote learning

• Hall County School District: The district said it will conduct school from home both Thursday, Sept. 26. Extracurricular events for Thursday and Friday are canceled/postponed.
• Union County Schools: The district announced at-home learning days for both students and staff on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. All extracurricular activities are also canceled through the weekend.
• Polk County School District: Learn-from-home days are set for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. A decision on extracurricular activities for Friday and Saturday "will be announced at a later time."
• Fannin County School System: Announced it will operate on a virtual learning day schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. Extracurricular activities are canceled.
• Towns County Schools: Will operate on a virtual learning day for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27.
• Meriwether County Schools: Will transition to remote learning on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. 
• Carroll County Schools: Will have a distance learning day for all students on Friday, Sept. 27 and are canceling all extracurricular activities for Thursday, Sept. 26.
• Georgia Tech: Students will attend classes virtually on Sept. 25, Sept. 26 and Sept. 27.
• Rabun County Schools: Virtual learning days in effect for Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. Extracurricular activities canceled Thursday and Friday. Homecoming football game being held Saturday morning at 11 a.m., Homecoming dance proceeding as scheduled.
• Morgan County Charter Schools: Operating a remote, digital learning day on Friday, Sept. 27. Normal schedule for Thursday, Sept. 26. Extracurricular activities canceled with exception of afterschool programs.
• Buford City Schools. Remote/digital day for Friday, Sept. 27. Early release for Thursday, Sept. 26. ALl after school activities canceled.
• Emory University: Virtual learning Thursday and Friday.

Other actions

• Forsyth County Schools: All indoor and outdoor athletics are for Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27.