Students enrolled in the Central Greene School District were sent home early Monday, Nov. 6, due to fears of flooding in the southern part of the county.

But according to Gregory Leathers, director of Greene County Emergency Management, this ended up being unnecessary.

“There was no flood,” said Leathers. “No flood-watch. No flood warning.”

Leathers said he was unsure where the concerns originated.

“I can’t answer that one,” he said. “It didn’t come from our office. [And] it didn’t come from the National Weather office.”

School district officials were not able to be reached for comment.

According to a report published Monday afternoon by the Observer-Reporter, Interim Superintendent Helen McCracken heard from community members that there was high water in several locations in the county, especially in the Brave area. Because of this, McCracken decided to send students home before roads and bridges could be blocked.

Leathers said that while he was confused by the decision to send students home without more concrete information, it ended up being a judgment call.

“I’m not throwing anyone under the bus for being safe instead of sorry,” he said. “A decision was made, but it didn’t come from our office.”

Leathers said that this can be a common issue for areas like the Central Greene School District, which pulls students from a widespread area.

“I’m not second-guessing them; the creeks got high,” Leathers said.

“And since we’re dealing with a big district, we’re dealing with very rural students. Waynesburg is more—I’d hate to say ‘urban’—but it’s more suburban. And some students are more impacted than

others.”