Officials with Metro Schools released a statement saying they "actively monitored" the weather, but they added it "changed rapidly."
School officials said reports they received stating the storms would hit around 8:30 a.m. or 9 a.m. Wednesday came in around 5:40 a.m.
Those reports soon changed to 7 a.m. with Nashville actually being placed under a severe thunderstorm warning at 6:26 a.m. and a tornado warning at 7:03 a.m.
School officials said by the time the situation changed, buses were already on the roads and many parents were headed to work.
Several parents cited concerns that Metro Schools did not delay classes, even though heavy storms hit the area just as students were heading to school.
A Metro Schools spokeswoman said rapidly changing weather patterns made it tough to delay.
“We receive our information from the Office of Emergency Management,” said spokeswoman Ameerah Palacios. “As of 5:40 a.m., we were told not to expect the storms until about 9:00 a.m.”
Straight line winds damaged parts of the roof at DuPont Hadley Middle School, resulting in a gas leak. The school’s principal called parents around 8:45 a.m. to tell them about the damage and brought their students to the gym.
Sky5 Flies Over Dupont Hadley Middle School and Creekwood High School
Students spent about two hours in the gym while maintenance crews cleaned up debris and contained the gas leak. Around 10:30 a.m. students returned to classrooms, though the damaged 8th grade wing remained closed.
Storms pushed through the area about an hour and a half before the school district expected. Parents reported some children stranded at bus stops as tornado sirens sounded.
“I would say parents should always use their best judgment based on where they live,” Palacios said.
Palacios has expected damaged DuPont Hadley classrooms to be back in use sometime Thursday.
Read the full statement from Metro Schools below:
"Metro Schools actively monitored the weather this morning, but the weather pattern changed rapidly. Around 5:40 a.m., we received initial reports by the Office of Emergency Management that said storms were going to hit around 8:30 a.m. Shortly after, the forecast changed to expect storms around 7 a.m. because the wind speed increased. By 6:26 a.m., Nashville was put under a severe thunderstorm warning, but by 7:03 a.m., we were under a tornado warning.
By the time the situation became clear, buses were already on the road and many parents were on their way to work. The storm quickly passed but we doubled back on to the elementary routes to try to make sure we didn't leave kids out at their stop. Our bus drivers and transportation staff ensured all students were transported safely to school today.
We have staff who work closely with OEM in the event of inclement weather, as we did today. As we approach tornado season, we are reminded how weather patterns can change quickly. We will be following the district’s inclement weather policy, which specifies internal and external communications protocols and the decision-making process, which is the same regardless of the type of inclement weather."
