Tens of thousands of students in the Southeast are dealing with school disruptions after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc so severe 69制片厂制作传媒 on homes, campuses and municipal power and water systems 69制片厂制作传媒 that some districts have no idea when they will reopen.
While virtual learning helped during the COVID-19 school closures, that has not been an option for this crisis because internet and cellphone service has remained spotty since the storm struck in late September. In hard-hit western North Carolina, some districts warn students will miss up to a month of school, and others say they can69制片厂制作传媒檛 yet determine a timeline for returning to classrooms.
69制片厂制作传媒淚 feel like a month is a lot, but it69制片厂制作传媒檚 not something that can69制片厂制作传媒檛 be overcome,69制片厂制作传媒 said Marissa Coleman, who has sent her four children to stay with grandparents in Texas because their home in North Carolina69制片厂制作传媒檚 Buncombe County has no running water. 69制片厂制作传媒淏ut if we get further into Thanksgiving and Christmas, it69制片厂制作传媒檚 like, how are they actually going to make this up?69制片厂制作传媒
In mountainous Buncombe County, Helene swept away homes, cut power and destroyed crucial parts of the water system for Asheville, a city of about 94,000 people. The storm decimated remote towns and killed at least 246 people throughout the Appalachians, where massive cleanup efforts have been complicated by washed-out bridges and roads. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005.
The Buncombe County School system, which serves over 22,000 students, told families Tuesday on the district69制片厂制作传媒檚 Facebook page no decision has been made 69制片厂制作传媒渨ith regards to start date or length of day69制片厂制作传媒 because of a need to repair buildings, restore phone and security systems and redraw bus routes.
Even when schools reopen, educators worry the disruption could have profound effects on students69制片厂制作传媒 learning and emotional well-being.
Children who experience natural disasters are more prone to acute illness and symptoms of depression and anxiety, research shows. The physical and mental health impacts put them at greater risk of learning loss: Absences can undermine achievement, as can the effects of trauma on brain function.
The challenges come amid growing concerns about the impacts of climate change on students. Wildfires have swept through communities, displacing families. Many school systems with inadequate heating or air conditioning have closed during extreme weather or forced students and educators to endure sweltering or frigid temperatures. According to the World Bank, 400 million children lost school days because of 69制片厂制作传媒渃limate-related closures69制片厂制作传媒 in 2022.
Days after Helene made landfall, Hurricane Milton roared ashore last week farther south along the same Florida coast as a Category 3 storm. While about half the state69制片厂制作传媒檚 districts were closed, all of them they were planning to reopen by the end of this week.
Schools affected by Helene are trying to provide stability. The Buncombe district has suggested parents trade books with neighbors and friends for their kids. 69制片厂制作传媒淗ave them write, maybe about something they69制片厂制作传媒檙e looking forward to when school starts again,69制片厂制作传媒 the district told parents on social media. 69制片厂制作传媒淭urn everyday experiences into math problems.69制片厂制作传媒
C茅cile Wight, a mother of two in Asheville, said she has been grateful for concern shown by schools including surveys checking on families69制片厂制作传媒 well-being and an elementary school bus driver who took his own car to visit each child on his route.
69制片厂制作传媒淭hat has been huge, just having the emotional support from the school system and from the people we know at the school,69制片厂制作传媒 she said.
But uncertainty remains. Wight said her family is able to stay at their home because they have well water, but many other families have yet to return since evacuating. Most of Buncombe69制片厂制作传媒檚 45 schools still lacked running water as of Tuesday, meaning they69制片厂制作传媒檙e unable to meet basic safety and hygiene standards.
Schools have have begun exploring whether it would be possible to open without running water, relying on portable bathroom trailers. In a letter to families, Asheville Superintendent Maggie Furman said the district is considering drilling wells at each school so they don69制片厂制作传媒檛 have to rely on city water.
Coleman said her kids are eager for some kind of normalcy.
69制片厂制作传媒淚 understand the schools are going to have to take some time to find a way to open safely, and I support that 100%. But I definitely am not in the camp of 69制片厂制作传媒榃e need to wait until we get water back, until everything69制片厂制作传媒檚 normal again to open.69制片厂制作传媒 I just think that69制片厂制作传媒檚 going to be too long,69制片厂制作传媒 Coleman said.
The Tennessee Department of Education is still trying to determine how many schools remain closed since Hurricane Helene and how many took too much damage to reopen.
Echoing the COVID-19 pandemic, several schools in Tennessee have postponed traditions like homecoming games, parades and dances. Many colleges are also granting extensions on application deadlines, officials say, to reduce high school seniors69制片厂制作传媒 stress.
In storm-drenched areas elsewhere, some early education providers may never reopen.
Private child care and preschool centers are particularly vulnerable in the aftermath of a natural disaster, said Militza Mezquita, senior advisor for education in emergencies at Save the Children. Many already operate on thin margins, meaning a temporary closure can easily turn permanent. As for-profit companies, they are also ineligible for many types of disaster aid. A natural disaster can wipe out 10% to 20% of providers, Mezquita said.
69制片厂制作传媒淐hild care recovery is very critical to the whole recovery ecosystem,69制片厂制作传媒 Mezquita said, noting the people essential to recovery 69制片厂制作传媒 road workers, cleanup crews, doctors and nurses 69制片厂制作传媒 often have young children that need to be looked after. 69制片厂制作传媒淚f they are not able to adequately get their children in care, they can69制片厂制作传媒檛 go to work.69制片厂制作传媒
Despite the instability, educators like Heather Smith, who was named North Carolina69制片厂制作传媒檚 Teacher of the Year in the spring, encourage families to see the lessons storms can provide. Smith brought along her two children, ages 8 and 4, to serve meals at her church.
69制片厂制作传媒淥ur kids are learning so much every day, whether it69制片厂制作传媒檚 about adversity, whether it69制片厂制作传媒檚 about helping a community,69制片厂制作传媒 said Smith, who rode out the storm at her home in Waynesville.
Similarly, Wight has been taking her children to volunteer for relief efforts at a school. She said it has helped them feel active and involved in the community.
69制片厂制作传媒淚f COVID taught us something, it69制片厂制作传媒檚 that we can make things work. The kids are resilient,69制片厂制作传媒 Wight said. 69制片厂制作传媒淭hey will eventually catch up on the academic side of things.69制片厂制作传媒
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