New from EdNC
Western N.C. child care programs, ‘already in a fragile state,’ hit by Helene
Update, Oct. 3 at 4:00 pm: Out of the 818 licensed child care programs in the region impacted by Hurricane Helene, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the department was unable to reach 332 programs and confirmed that 300 were open, 173 were operational but closed, and 13 had damage that will prevent opening as of Wednesday, Oct.…
An early look at the impact of the hurricane on community colleges, including how you can help
“Hurricane Helene has left western North Carolina’s community colleges and their communities reeling,” says this press release from the N.C. Community College System (NCCCS).…
In recovery, the melody of community echoes
Although normal operations have ceased, our schools continue to be resource hubs of the community. Ryan Mitchell is a teacher in Henderson County Public Schools, south of Asheville.…
Perspective | A milestone for equity and excellence in Chatham County Schools — free breakfast and lunch
This school year, Chatham County Schools embarked on an ambitious new initiative: providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in our district.…
The Editor’s Notes
Liz and Katie crunched the numbers. There are more than 800 licensed child care programs in the disaster relief area. That puts us at 25 counties, 28 school districts, 459 local public schools, 24 public charter schools, 14 community colleges, more than 800 licensed child care programs, and the Qualla Boundary.
Alli continues to update our article about closures at schools and community colleges.
Emily is in Haywood, and she will be in Henderson and Rutherford next week. Caroline is headed to Polk and Rutherford. Ben will be in Ashe, Watauga, and Caldwell. I plan to focus on Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey. We’ve reached out to Kristen Blair, and she is working on a story about the impact on charter schools. Reach out with information or anything we are missing at mrash at ednc.org. The more communication the better we can focus our reporting.
The N.C. State Board of Education is meeting today, and Superintendent Truitt will be presenting her request for support and relief. Deputy Superintendent Jeremy Gibbs has been on the ground in western North Carolina all week meeting with superintendents and visiting schools with his team of regional managers also on the road and providing strategic communications support — like getting master lists of students delivered to districts. A special shout out to DPI’s Stephanie Dischiavi who is leading the way in some of the hardest hit counties.
Educator Ryan Mitchell in Henderson County is serving as a special correspondent for EdNC during recovery. Don’t miss his beautiful feature about his first-hand experience of the storm. Thankful for the leadership of all of our educators across the ed continuum.
Need to know
Governor Cooper and President Biden Survey Damage from Hurricane Helene During Aerial Tour, Hold Briefing for Federal Officials at State Emergency Operations Center
President Biden announced the approval of 100% FEMA Reimbursement for six months, a significant funding commitment from the federal government.... Read the rest
