On Tuesday, the worst nightmare came true for many students in Alabama and Georgia, where a freak winter storm shuttered the bus service stranding the students at school for the night.
School staff and teachers gave students snacks to eat and games to play throughout the long night. One teacher said that younger students are routine-oriented and what happened is very out of the ordinary, which caused some students to be uncomfortable.
Some road conditions were so bad in some of the schools districts that not just buses were kept off road, but parents were told not to drive and pick up their children.
Robert Bentley the Governor of Alabama told news reporters late on Tuesday that officials from the state did not know the total number of students who had been stranded or the number of schools that still had children. However, Bentley promised no matter how many students there were, they would all be watched over and fed.
Close to 600 students were at schools in Birmingham early Wednesday, said that district’s Superintendent.
In the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Georgia, over 850 students remained at schools after midnight, though the total number had started to decline. Over 200 students and between 15 and 20 staff had settled in for a long night at Marietta High, said on teacher.
One member of the Marietta school board said nearly every school in the district would have children overnight since buses could not travel and parents were stranded at home.
Initially, the Atlanta school system that has over 55,000 students attending public schools, said it had hoped they all would be home no later than 8 pm. However, by 8:30 pm Tuesday night buses were still having problems reaching schools.
Late on Tuesday night, the Atlanta school system said it issued an emergency declaration for the students and staff that remained at the schools. It said that food and security had been continued to be provided at each of its campuses.
One teacher said the students were not causing any problems, but it was the parents who had given them the headaches.

