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Hurricane Helene Recovery: October 1, 1 p.m. Update

From our schools to our community, our essential teams are hard at work, rebuilding and serving as we recover together.

We are on day five of recovery. More than 150 or our essential administrators and staff have been at work behind the scenes since Friday serving our schools and the community. These are highlights of just some of the work that is taking place:

  • Coordinating with Bulloch County Emergency Management Agency, public safety, and with Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) to remain aware of local conditions, how it affects our school district, and support recovery efforts
  • Beginning on Tuesday, October 1, Statesboro High School will be used to house visiting electric utility crews for Georgia Power Company.
  • Central Office administrators, department directors, and school administrators met in person on Monday for a state-of-the-district session, and they will continue to meet daily at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. via the district's radio system until we reopen
  • Facilities maintenance crews have been working non-stop to assess damages across our 20 school campuses, offices, and annexes. They have worked to maintain and fuel generators at our schools to help preserve our extensive food inventories, and they helped relocate food quickly if generators failed to ensure we maintained safe food temperatures. They are clearing debris, inspecting playground equipment and outdoor athletic equipment. They are making repairs where they are able and meeting with contractors to make major repairs. All of our schools received minor damage, with some more extensive.
  • School Nutrition Services has monitored our schools' large, walk-in freezers which are equipped with temperature alarm systems that alert them remotely of temperature changes due to power outages and generator failures. They have supported maintenance staff in monitoring and refueling generators, and they performed the monumental task of relocating entire food inventories from multiple schools to other schools' freezers when we experienced some generator failures. We did experience total food inventory losses at two schools and our entire milk inventory at another school, but we have sufficient inventories to resupply those schools when we reopen, but some menu items may change. They will be moving food supplies back as power is restored at schools. They are also working with food suppliers to determine if any disruptions to supply chains will occur, and they will plan accordingly to ensure children still receive nutritious meals when we reopen on Monday.
  • As of Tuesday morning, all of our schools, offices, and annexes now have power, except Nevils Elementary School. With our schools coming back online, our middle and high schools are coordinating with Bulloch County's Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters chapter to supply ice from our ice machines to their recovery station for the public at Pittman Park United Methodist Church. As community needs are made known to Bulloch County Emergency Management Agency and VOAD, our school district will work through their recovery logistics plans to help where needed.
  • Our Transportation Department staff and bus drivers will begin assessing road conditions at the end of the week, so as not to be in the way of power and debris clearing crews that are actively working in areas now. The district is still in an alternate transportation plan for 12 roads due to Tropical Storm Debby. As we learn more later this week of road conditions, we will be able to communicate with any affected families if the alternate transportation plan will need to expand due to Hurricane Helene.
  • Our school district has missed 11 and one-half instructional days due to two major storms. Our Academic Support Department's curriculum leaders, with input from teachers, will be working to adjust our curriculum maps. These align our instruction across our schools and show when learning outcomes should happen for different courses and when tests occur to measure mastery of content. These will be adjusted to prioritize instruction, not cram what has been missed. We want to meet kids where they are and move them where they need to be in a positive way to help them be successful. A decision about making up any missed days will not be made until we reopen.
  • Our Information Technology Department is working to bring multiple internal technology tools and our wireless internet back up.

Continue to be safe and resilient.