In Asheville, North Carolina, schools plan to reopen a month after Helene's accident, but challenges remain

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — When schools reopen here for the first time since Hurricane Helene unleashed a frightening flood in western North Carolina, teachers won't simply pick up where they left off in their lesson plans. They also provide students with an opportunity to discuss the storm's life-changing impact on their region.

Although all Asheville City Schools students and staff have been held accountable, they are grieving the deaths of other members of their community. Some of them lost their homes. And for almost three weeks Many had neither electricity nor running water.

“We won’t be able to jump straight into academia,” said Kim Dechant, chief of staff for Asheville City Schools. “We really need to address the emotions they have experienced through this trauma and help them process them.”

Asheville City Schools hopes to welcome students to the district Nearly 3,900 students attended on Oct. 28, just over a month after floods from Hurricane Helene inundated the region. Virtual learning was not an option during school closures due to poor internet connectivity.

School officials say they are doing everything they can to meet the planned reopening date, including drilling a well at an elementary school so students can have flushable toilets when they return. The city has restored water supplies for restrooms and handwashing at all other district schools, Dechant said.

Pending reopening, the district has found other ways to serve the community: by offering students grab-and-go lunches and breakfasts daily; by organizing donations for families such as shampoo, batteries, headlamps and blankets as the weather turns cooler; and this week we are offering an optional few hours a day of hands-on learning in a temporary classroom. It has given children in grades K-12 the opportunity to engage in activities such as arts and crafts, board games, eat meals and socialize with other students.

On Monday, in the makeshift classroom, there were “a lot of hugs, a lot of tears, but it very quickly turned into joy and just being happy to be together,” Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said.

On Wednesday, the children had fun squishing slime between their fingers, playing outside and taking part in music and drama in the classroom.

“It was great to see my friends,” Trenton Williams, 10, said.

His sister Rosalyn, 12, added: “It was nice to see classrooms again and hang out with friends and teachers and get back to almost normal normality.”

But officials know Asheville students' challenges won't end once schools fully reopen. Some of her parents owned businesses in Asheville's famed River Arts District. Popular tourist areas of the city that normally fund schools through sales taxes were wiped out. School bus routes must be adjusted for areas of the city that are not yet accessible.

And with schools closed for over a month, teachers will inevitably have to account for students' learning loss.

“Any loss of learning worries teachers,” said math teacher Elzy Lindsey, adding that the pandemic has already affected his students’ schooling. “They were already busy catching up on the Covid story.”

Before schools open their doors, many logistical tasks must be completed, such as: B. Ensuring enough bottled water for every student to drink each day, as a boil water advisory is still in effect in the area.

Still, Dechant said the district is committed to reopening.

“We are going full steam ahead because we know our children need to be in school with teachers,” she said. “They need a safe space.”

Kathy Park reported from Asheville and Elizabeth Chuck reported from New York.