A truck crash knocked out power to four schools in Fayette County, Georgia, on Tuesday, forcing an early dismissal for some pupils and changes to the normal collection arrangements.
The vehicle struck a power pole away from the school grounds, leaving Spring Hill Elementary, Fayette LIFE Academy, Sara Harp Minter Elementary and Whitewater High School without electricity.
All pupils were reported to be safe, while staff adapted lunch arrangements. Spring Hill Elementary allowed children being collected by car to leave at 1pm, with bus passengers and daycare pupils due to depart at the usual time of 2.20pm.
The staggered timetable was introduced to prevent cars and buses from using the shared traffic loop simultaneously. Police officers directed drivers to the bus loop for collection.
Bradford Square was closed while Georgia Power crews worked on the damaged pole, meaning parents were instructed to use the entrance to Fayette LIFE Academy instead.
Fayette LIFE Academy, Sara Harp Minter Elementary and Whitewater High School continued with their normal school day under staff supervision. Telephone lines and campus communication systems remained out of service at the affected schools.
Officials have not said how long repairs will take or when power will be fully restored. The district has also not confirmed whether the outage will affect school operations on Wednesday.
