More than a week after Hurricane Helene slammed Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) announced that all but six of its schools will be returning “regular operational schedules” and in-person instruction on Monday, Oct. 7.
A district announcement Friday afternoon stated over 90% of its schools and facilities were “fully operational with power and connectivity.”
The six sites that remain without power or connectivity are:
- School of Humanities at Juliette Gordon Low Elementary School, 15 Blue Ridge Ave., Savannah
- Herschel V. Jenkins High School, 1800 E. DeRenne Ave.
- The Learning Academy at Jenkins, 1800 E. DeRenne Ave.
- Southwest Elementary School, 6020 Ogeechee Road
- Leiston Shuman Elementary School, 415 Goebel Ave.
- Carrie E. Gould Elementary, 4910 Pineland Drive
Those six schools will have an e-learning day on Monday and families will receive separate communications from their school principals.
The notice assured that “SCCPSS maintenance, operations, and campus police teams have worked to ensure all facilities are functional based on our highest levels of safety standards.” The district advised that buses may have to use alternative routes to avoid debris or other obstacles that may still be present in Helene’s aftermath.
The district also noted that it is experiencing food delivery delays “because of the widespread impact this weather event has caused across the state and region.” The district has stated it would feed every child, yet is asking for assistance, if possible, to “send breakfast or lunch with their children as food delivery systems continue to stabilize.”
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.