While Rutherford County Schools are closed Monday for the MLK holiday, they've made the preemptive move to close schools on Tuesday.

James Evans with the system says with extremely cold temperatures in the forecast, they'll close at least through Tuesday. Central office staff will not report. Director of Schools Dr. Jimmy Sullivan wanted to make the announcement now to give parents plenty of notice for planning purposes.

All extra curricular activities, including practices, are also not permitted for Monday. A decision on Tuesday’s extracurricular activities will be announced on Monday.

Evans says Rutherford County started this year with nine inclement weather days and will now have eight in reserve. However, there are chances of additional closures this week. On Wednesday, for example, there are negative single digit temperatures forecast for the morning. He says they'll be monitoring that forecast closely as it becomes more certain.

Evans says these decisions aren't made lightly and understands closing schools inconveniences some parents, but the safety of students and employees is of the utmost importance.