Carolina public schools struggle to repair, reopen doors as 'anchor in the community'

By Carolyn Sistrand, AccuWeather staff writer

October 05, 2018, 11:05:35 AM EDT

Public schools in both North and South Carolina are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence as they are trying to get students and teachers back into the classroom to start making up for lost time.

“Just letting them know that the schools [are] going to reopen is a challenge,” Drew Elliott, director of communications and information division at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction told AccuWeather. “You have displaced people who are not checking their email very often. We have principals just calling every family in their school to try to figure out where they are and when they could be back to even knowing how many kids that they could have when they reopen.”

Amid mandatory evacuations in some parts of the state, people left their homes not knowing if they would return. Schools closed not knowing if students would be there when they reopened.

If and when students do return to their schools, the questions to be answered at the local and state levels is how to supplement lost time in the classroom, especially for schools that have been closed for nearly a month, so that students do not miss out on important material.

“It is a balance. You don't want to penalize schools and students for something they obviously couldn’t control in terms of missed school days,” said Elliot. “We have already seen a move to give relief to schools and districts from the North Carolina laws that mandate the [185] days and hours of instruction. There is no way that they can make it up."

North Carolina had the greatest impacts to their schools, having lost some buildings completely. Also, due to the power being off for so long and the water damage in buildings, other schools have had to blow mildew out with fans. Most of the damage to schools the state has experienced, however, is repairable wind damage.

Two schools in Jones County, Jones Middle School and Trenton Elementary School, have announced that they will remain closed for the rest of the year, according to WNCT 9.

Talks continue on how to repair damages and return to a normal school routines on both the local and state level. Many state leaders are leading those conversations and taking action. They are coming together, putting differences aside, and leading an in-state historic bipartisan relief effort to aid public schools as they reopen and face challenges.

Girls from The Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina near Wilmington, N.C., wait to play games to pass the time as they ride out the aftermath flooding of hurricane Florence at the YMCA on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Black Mountain, N.C. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

“A group of current and former state leaders came together at a press conference [Sept. 24] to announce what we’re calling FAST NC, Florence Aid to Students and Teachers, and it is a fund-raising campaign, with a steering committee of the current superintendent and current state board chair and several former superintendents and board chairs, to address needs that aren’t addressed by federal or state aide because we know that need is going to still be out there,” said Elliot.

FAST NC donations will be taken through the existing North Carolina Education Fund and the steering committee will make decisions based on the requests and needs of the schools.

Elliot continues to get calls and inquiries from people all across the country on how they can help North Carolina’s students and teachers. Schools as far away as California are pitching in, whether it be fund-raising drives or directly donating to FAST NC.

Still, Elliot said the state’s focus is on the 1.2 million students that had missed some school and those who still remain out, making sure that they are not neglected educationally and that their personal needs are the main priority during this time.

“School’s are such an anchor in the community that can really provide that sense of permanence when everything else has been temporary and has been disrupted or dislodged,” said Elliot. “The school’s can be that place, that hasn't changed.”

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While South Carolina is currently in its own recovery process, residents have been through this situation several times before. The state has had four major storms in recent years, leaving them all too familiar with major storm damage.

About 500,000 students were out of school for at least three days due to Florence, according to Ryan Brown, chief communications officer for the South Carolina Department of Education.

“The schools are very prepared,” said Brown. “Last year we got federal funding to help the students in the wake of some natural disasters. Our first priority will be to get the students in a safe environment and get them back into the schools and supporting them and their families as we can.”

South Carolina schools may not have experienced as much wind damage as schools in North Carolina, but the continuation of flooding during and in the days following the hurricane posed the biggest threat to school buildings.

“It is very important for the students to get back in the classroom, they are missing a lot of instructional time but we have to weigh that with the facility and the need for safety,” said Brown.

Major highways and local roads remained closed for days and weeks due to flooding. Downed trees, telephone poles and damaged roads also restricted travel. Safe transportation of students and faculty, in many parts of the state, was not possible.

(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kenny Babb looks out over the water on his flooded property as the Little River continues to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.

(Photo/North Carolina Department of Transportation)

A stranded truck is nearly completely submerged in floodwaters in Brunswick County, North Carolina

(Photo/North Carolina Department of Transportation)

Interstate 95 near Lumberton, North Carolina, remained closed on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

(Photo/North Carolina Emergency Management)

Successful search & rescue missions were conducted by the Cary, NC, swift water rescue team in Harnett County.

(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Kenny Babb walks down a staircase into the water on his flooded property as the Little River continues to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.

(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Dianna Wood, embraces her husband Lynn, as they look out over their flooded property in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.

(AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

People use a road as a boat ramp after Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Conway, S.C.

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

A man tries to get his dog out of a flooded neighborhood in Lumberton, N.C., Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The Lumber River overflows onto a stretch Interstate 95 in Lumberton, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, following flooding from Hurricane Florence.

(AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, left, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. John McElveen look on as rescues take place inChesterfield County, South Carolina on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018.

(Photo/Asheville Fire Department)

Aerial imagery captures the extent of flooding around the Asheville, North Carolina, area.

(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Cars sit abandoned on a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Lillington, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.

(AP Photo/Meg Kinnard

This Monday, Sept. 17, 2018 photo shows rising flood waters in the Pee Dee area in Marion County, S.C.

(Photo/North Carolina Department of Transportation)

This drone image shows Interstate 40 at Pender County, North Carolina, completely submerged.

(Reuters photo/Eduardo Munoz)

Sheds sit in flooded waters due to Hurricane Florence in Kinston, North Carolina, U.S., September 19, 2018.

David Goldman

The home of Kenny Babb is surrounded by water as he retrieves a paddle that floated away in Linden, N.C., Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018.

(AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

Floodwaters inundate a church after Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Conway, S.C.

(AP Photo/David Goldman)

David Darden Jr., left, stands outside his mother's home with his wife Pam as they evacuate her in the aftermath of Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Monday, Sept. 17, 2018.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A resident stands on her pier looking out onto the rising Waccamaw River in Conway, S.C., Monday, Sept. 17, 2018.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A house is surrounded by floodwaters from Hurricane Florence in Lumberton, N.C., Monday, Sept. 17, 2018.

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Some of the states students have missed weeks of class instruction, leaving the state and local districts with the same situation North Carolina faces in determining how to make up for the lost class time.

Seeing effects of major storms before, South Carolina has had the opportunity to brainstorm efforts that may help avoid missing days or weeks of instructional time through online learning. Although it remains the beginning phases, Brown says that this alternative to learning could be possible while schools are out of session, if the students and teachers can access Wi-Fi.

“We have five districts right now that are in an online learning pilot program that students and schools can utilize when they are out of school,” said Brown. “That might be a resource we can spread throughout the state.”

However, missed class time is not the only anticipated result of this hurricane.

Brown said that the state is predicting many students and families are coming in from North Carolina. Some families found refuge in South Carolina during the storm and may stay, while other families could be coming to find a new place to settle now that they may not have a home to go back to.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal homeless statute, mandates that children of homeless people or homeless due to an emergency situation must be afforded the same opportunity to public education as district and state residents, even without proper documentation.

“They are our neighbors and we view them as such,” said Brown. “There are a large number of people that have been directly impacted in North Carolina and we are going to welcome them into our state if that is the case. They can certainly come down south and come to us.”