10/06/2026
Dear Coffee County School System Families,
Over the last 48 hours, Coffee County has received an excessive amount of rainfall. As a result, many of our dirt roads have become dangerous to travel, with significant washouts, standing water, and, in some locations, substantial amounts of water crossing the roadway.
Today, I personally, along with several of our district-level leaders, traveled countless miles of dirt roads throughout Coffee County to assess conditions firsthand. Time and time again, we encountered roads that simply were not safe to travel, especially with a school bus full of children.
I want our families to understand the size of the challenge our transportation department faces when conditions like these occur. Coffee County Schools operates 60 bus routes, with buses running those routes twice each morning and twice each afternoon.
Approximately 3,500 students depend on our buses for transportation each day, and roughly 70% of our routes include dirt roads. Our buses travel approximately 618 miles of dirt roads twice each day.
Today, 15 of our bus routes were substantially interrupted because roads were determined to be impassable and unsafe for transporting students. Seven of our routes required assistance after buses became stuck or had to safely back out of roads that had become impassable.
Those numbers are more than statistics. Every bus represents students entrusted to our care, and every decision we make must begin with their safety and the safety of our employees.
Therefore, out of an extreme abundance of caution, Coffee County Schools will be CLOSED for all students and staff on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
We understand that closing school creates challenges for our families, and this is never a decision we make lightly. However, after personally seeing the condition of many of our roads today, I believe this is the responsible decision.
Our hope is that keeping our school buses and other traffic off these roads for the next 24 hours will give the water time to recede and allow our dirt roads to begin drying and becoming safer for travel.
We will continue monitoring road conditions and working closely with our local partners as we determine when it is safe to resume normal operations.
Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support as we strive to serve the families of Coffee County. The safety of our students and staff will always be our top priority.
Sincerely,
Lee Mobley
Superintendent
Coffee County School System