Students at Coleman Elementary in the Watson Chapel School District were released from school just minutes after classes began Thursday, due to a power outage.
Superintendent Tom Wilson said an accident on Blake Street in Pine Bluff resulted in a tipped power pole, and that utility crews had to shut off power to fix it.
Wilson said school officials were told the utility needed a minimum of six hours before power would be restored, which led to the decision to cancel school early.
An accident report from Pine Bluff police was not yet completed as of 10 a.m.
The first bell at Coleman is at 7:55 a.m. According to a social media post, the district's city-route buses left at 8:15 and country-route buses left at 8:30.
The decision only affected the Coleman campus, Wilson said. A parent-teacher conference is still scheduled for 4-7 p.m, and school will resume at the regular time Friday.