Teachers are concerned about the impact as schools remain closed after Hurricane Helene

Tens of thousands of students in the Southeast are facing school disruptions after Hurricane Helene caused such severe damage — to homes, campuses and municipal electricity and water systems — that some districts have no idea when they will reopen.

While virtual learning has helped during COVID-19 school closures, that hasn’t been an option during this crisis as internet and cell phone service has remained spotty since the storm hit in late September. In hard-hit Western North Carolina, some districts are warning that students will miss up to a month of school, and others say they cannot yet determine a timeline for the return to classrooms.

“I feel like a month is a lot, but it’s not something that can’t be overcome,” said Marissa Coleman, who sent her four children to live with their grandparents in Texas because their home in North Carolina’s Buncombe County doesn’t have running water. has. . “But as we get deeper into Thanksgiving and Christmas, I think, how are they actually going to make up for this?”

In mountainous Buncombe County, Helene swept away homes, knocked out power and destroyed crucial parts of the water system for Asheville, a city of about 94,000. The storm decimated remote towns and killed at least 246 people across the Appalachian Mountains, where widespread cleanup efforts have been hampered by washed-out bridges and roads. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Katrina in 2005.

RELATED STORY | Buying a used car? How to keep it from being damaged by hurricane flooding

The Buncombe County School system, which serves more than 22,000 students, told families on the district’s Facebook page Tuesday that no decision has been made “regarding the start date or the length of the day” due to the need to repair buildings , repair telephone and security systems and redesign bus routes.

Even as schools reopen, educators are concerned that the disruption could have profound effects on students’ learning and emotional well-being.

Research shows that children who experience natural disasters are more susceptible to acute illnesses and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The physical and mental health consequences put them at greater risk of learning loss: absences can undermine performance, as can the effects of trauma on brain function.

The challenges stem from growing concerns about the impact of climate change on students. Wildfires have ravaged communities and displaced families. Many school systems with inadequate heating or air conditioning have closed during extreme weather events or forced students and teachers to endure sweltering or frigid temperatures. According to the World Bank, 400 million children will lose school days in 2022 due to “climate-related closures.”

Days after Helene made landfall, Hurricane Milton barreled further south along the same Florida coast last week as a Category 3 storm. Although about half of the state’s counties were closed, all planned to reopen by the end of this week.

Schools affected by Helene are trying to provide stability. The Buncombe District has proposed that parents swap books with neighbors and friends for their children. “Have them write, maybe about something they are looking forward to when school starts again,” the district told parents on social media. “Turn everyday experiences into mathematical problems.”

Cécile Wight, a mother of two in Asheville, said she was grateful for concerns from schools, including surveys about family well-being and an elementary school bus driver who took his own car to visit every child on his route.

RELATED STORY | Florida Congressman Gus Bilirakis says FEMA’s hurricane response is “not really acceptable.”

“That was huge, just the emotional support from the school system and from the people we know at school,” she said.

But the uncertainty remains. Wight said her family is able to stay in their home because they have well water, but many other families have yet to return since the evacuation. Most of Buncombe’s 45 schools still did not have running water on Tuesday, meaning they cannot meet basic safety and hygiene standards.

Schools have begun exploring whether it would be possible to open without running water, using portable bathroom carts. In a letter to families, Asheville Superintendent Maggie Furman said the district is considering drilling wells at each school so they don’t have to rely on city water.

Coleman said her children long for some kind of normalcy.

“I understand that it will take some time for schools to find a way to open safely, and I support that 100%. But I’m certainly not in the camp of ‘We have to wait until we have water again, until everything is back to normal to open.’ I just think that’s going to take too long,” Coleman said.

The Tennessee Department of Education is still trying to determine how many schools have closed since Hurricane Helene and how many schools have suffered too much damage to reopen.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several Tennessee schools have postponed traditions such as homecoming games, parades and dances. Many colleges are also granting application deadline extensions, officials say, to ease the stress of high school students.

In storm-drenched areas elsewhere, some early childhood education providers may never reopen.

Private childcare and preschool centers are particularly vulnerable in the aftermath of a natural disaster, says Militza Mezquita, senior advisor for education in emergencies at Save the Children. Many are already operating on slim margins, meaning a temporary closure could easily become permanent. As for-profit companies, they are also not eligible for many types of disaster assistance. A natural disaster could wipe out 10% to 20% of providers, Mezquita says.

“Restoring childcare is critical to the entire recovery ecosystem,” Mezquita said, noting that the people essential to the recovery – road workers, cleanup crews, doctors and nurses – often have young children who need to be cared for . “If they are not able to adequately supervised their children, they cannot go to work.”

Despite the instability, teachers like Heather Smith, who was named North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year in the spring, are encouraging families to see what lessons storms can offer. Smith brought her two children, ages 8 and 4, to serve meals at her church.

“Our kids learn so much every day, whether it’s about adversity, whether it’s about helping a community,” said Smith, who weathered the storm at her Waynesville home.

Similarly, Wight has taken her children to volunteer for outreach at a school. She said it has helped them feel active and involved in the community.

“If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that we can make things work. The kids are resilient,” Wight said. “They will eventually catch up on the academic side of things.”