FORSYTH COUNTY — Forsyth County Schools will be releasing early today due to the threat of winter weather.

According to the school system's website, the following elementary schools will dismiss students at 11:50 a.m.:

* Big Creek, Brookwood, Chattahoochee, Chestatee, Coal Mountain, Cumming, Haw Creek, Kelly Mill, Matt, Settles Bridge, Sharon, Shiloh Point and Vickery Creek

The following elementary schools will release at 12:30 p.m.:

* Daves Creek, Johns Creek, Mashburn, Midway, Sawnee, Silver City and Whitlow.

All middle schools will early release at 1:30 p.m. and all high schools at 12:55 p.m.

All after school activities and athletics are canceled for today.

Jennifer Caracciolo, spokeswoman for the school system, said officials met with the county’s emergency management agency and had a conference call with the National Weather Service at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday.

“The latest models are showing a more definitive picture of some frozen precipitation for us this afternoon,” she said. “It appears it is going to start right around our normal first dismissal times.”

The earliest normal dismissal time is at 2:20 p.m., which is when elementary I schools let out, while the latest early dismissal time is 1:30 p.m., which is for middle schools.

She said the weather service shared with them that the freezing rain would last until early evening.

Of the decision to release students early, Caracciolo noted, “It certainly appears more definitive than what we received last night and early this morning.”

Early release days count as a full instructional school day, so there will be no additional assignments posted on itslearning, the virtual classroom portal the system uses to continue instruction when schools close due to inclement weather.

A decision on whether to close or delay school Thursday should be made by 5:30 a.m. Thursday.