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Are there rules for when school buses can be on the road during inclement weather?

School districts take all the precautions when it comes to weather.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tropical Storm Debby is impacting the Charlotte area with heavy rain and the risk of flash flooding. Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich said while we can't rule out severe weather from Debby in the Charlotte area, the biggest impact is flooding. 

This threat is made worse by how slow Debby is moving north. Because it's crawling, the storm is dumping heavy rain for long periods.

School districts take all the precautions when it comes to weather, and the Verify team wanted to look into if there are any set rules for when buses can be out on the roads. 

OUR SOURCES

WHAT WE FOUND

Regarding who decides when school buses should be on roadways, North Carolina and South Carolina say there is no specific law or rule that dictates when school buses can operate in bad weather. Local school districts or charter schools make the decision based on local weather conditions, road conditions, and other factors.

We do want to note, though, that according to the South Carolina Department of Education, wind gusts of 30 miles per hour or greater can impact the steering control of a school bus.

WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make sure the community has the correct information on news that impacts them. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded. 

 

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