ZACHARY – The majority of schools in the Baton Rouge area let students out early Wednesday afternoon. The timing of severe weather concerned superintendents that kids would be traveling home in unsafe conditions.

“Yesterday, it seemed the storm was going to come when all of our babies are going home, all the of pre-k, kindergarten and first graders so you never want to put them in that position. It’s definitely one thing that we look at to make sure that we’re keeping the kids and our employees safe,” Zachary Community Schools Superintendent Scott Devillier said.

Devillier was one of the first superintendents to announce an early release. He let parents know around 9 p.m. Tuesday in hope the message would reach parents before they went to bed. 

“It was enough time for me,” said Rebecca Otwom, who was in line at Copper Mill Elementary before noon to pick up her child. “I was able to organize with a friend of mine to pick up their children today too.”

With fewer hours in the classroom, some school systems may have to make up this time.

"That's always something we're looking at, and of course we made some adjustments. But as time goes on and you have more weather days, hurricanes, freezes so all of those things play a factor,” Devillier said.

Though an early release decision is hard for school leaders to make, a lot of students leaving Copper Mill Elementary didn’t seem to mind as they waved goodbye to their friends and teachers around noon.