A truck struck an off-campus power pole in Fayette County on Tuesday morning, knocking out electricity — and phone service — at four schools and forcing an early dismissal for car riders at one of them.
Fayette LIFE Academy, Spring Hill Elementary School, Sara Harp Minter Elementary School, and Whitewater High School all lost power when the truck hit the pole, according to Fayette County Schools. Georgia Power's outage map showed the affected area centered around 1st Manassas Mile, according to WSB-TV.
Spring Hill Elementary is the only campus changing its schedule. Car riders there will be dismissed at 1 p.m. — well ahead of the normal 2:20 p.m. release — while bus riders and daycare students will leave at the regular time. Because Bradford Square is closed while Georgia Power works on the downed pole, parents must enter through the Fayette LIFE Academy entrance, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Law enforcement officers are directing drivers to the bus loop for pickup, and the staggered schedule is designed to keep cars and buses out of the shared loop at the same time.
At the other three campuses — Fayette LIFE Academy, Sara Harp Minter Elementary, and Whitewater High School — the school day is continuing as normal under staff supervision. The district's school nutrition team is adapting operations to make sure students still receive lunch.
Please know that students are safe, and school staff are continuing to supervise and support them throughout the day.— Fayette County Schools officials
Phone lines and school-based communication systems are down across all four affected campuses, according to Fox 5 Atlanta, so parents should not expect to reach schools by phone. Georgia Power's outage map, as of 10:30 a.m., estimated power would be restored by 1 p.m., according to Atlanta News First. The outage is affecting roughly 60 customers in the area.
School officials have not said how long pole repair work will take or whether the outage could affect operations on Wednesday, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. No information on injuries from the truck crash or its cause has been released.
Why it matters — Parents of students at four Fayette County schools need to know about changed pickup routes, an early dismissal at Spring Hill Elementary, and the fact that campuses cannot be reached by phone while the outage continues.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Power expected to be fully restored by 1 p.m.
- The outage will not affect school operations on Wednesday.
Reported by atlantanewsfirst.com, fox5atlanta.com, wsbtv.com
Where this comes from
Written by Papalocal's AI from these outlets' reporting. It can miss or misread things; the outlets are the record.