BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — It could be almost two more weeks until students in Bladen County can go back to school thanks to Hurricane Matthew.
Today, superintendent Robert Taylor sent out a release outlining the challenges still facing the school district, including transportation, facilities and food. Taylor said they hope to have schools open as soon as possible, but it could be at least late next week and possibly as long as Oct. 24 before classes resume.
Read Dr. Taylor’s full release:
Bladen County has experienced significant damage as a result of flooding since Hurricane Matthew. Power companies continue to work diligently to restore power to all portions of our county. Because of the restrictions to road travel, loss of power, and incomplete assessments of all schools, a decision was made to close school for students for the entire week of October 10th. During the peak of the storm, four Bladen County Schools were opened as shelters. As of today, East Bladen High School remains open as a shelter. We are able to provide hot meals for those needing food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The school also functions as a stay in shelter for those without living quarters.
In order for students to safely return to school, a number of considerations must be made, with the first being the actual safe transport of students to and from school. The Cape Fear River is expected to crest on Wednesday October 12th. Until waters have receded, it will be difficult to assess road conditions to determine safe routes for transport. This information may not be available until late this weekend. However, the Bladen County Schools Transportation Department is working with DOT to obtain road information so that bus rerouting can occur. We transport 3000 students and the rerouting process will be intense, and our goal is to develop safe and accessible routes for students.
While we are assessing road, The Bladen County Schools Maintenance Department is also assessing damage to school buildings. At the time of this press release there were four schools still without power. Until a school has stable and reliable power, it cannot conduct school. We have been lucky to have only minor damage both to physical structures as well as water damage. Crews are working hard to clear debris and have schools ready when students can be safely transported.
Finally, The Bladen County Schools Child Nutrition Department must be able to provide breakfast and lunch for students. Currently, food is being used to supply our shelter and feed the community. We will also need to coordinate with food vendors to have new food supplies delivered. If conditions allow, the earliest this may be able to happen is Monday.
With the aforementioned conditions and concerns, it is possible that students may not return to school until late into next week, and possibly not until October 24, although we hope this is not the case. Our goal will be to ensure schools are safe for use and that students can be transported safely. Once routes have been established and a school opening date has been determined, we continue to encourage parents to determine if it is safe for their children to return to school as a result of their housing conditions at home, if they transport their children, is it safe to do so, and if they are needed for family caretaking.
With the potential of so many days being missed from school, there will be concerns for makeup. I have been in contact with the State Superintendent, Dr. June Atkinson, concerning this time being forgiven. Currently, the NC General Statutes do not cover a state of emergency, and schools are required to attend 1025 hours or 185 days. Our calendar has 3 days for inclement weather built into the calendar. However, superintendents in the region have been in contact with state representatives to seek relief from the General Assembly. Once we have a solution to this issue, we will inform our parents.
This crisis continues to be a challenge for our community and region. However, we have come together as a community to support each other. All County agencies have worked numerous hours along with citizen volunteers to ensure our County is operational and able to serve its citizens. We ask that you continue to monitor media outlets for updates and information on school and community conditions.
Dr. Robert P. Taylor
Bladen County Schools Superintendent