‘Good for the soul’: North Carolina county to open schools for the first time since Helene

BURNSVILLE, Nc. — Seven weeks after Hurricane Helene damaged parts of the southeast, students in one western North Carolina county are still out of school.

That will change soon as schools in Yancey County will reopen for classes on Monday.

“It’s great, it’s good for the soul, it’s good for morale,” Brent Laws, principal of Burnsville Elementary School said to Channel 2′s Bryan Mims.

Yancey County is one of the last school systems in western North Carolina to get its schools back open. Students in the rural district northeast of Asheville have not been to class since Sept. 25.

Teachers and staff at Burnsville Elementary spent Thursday getting their classrooms ready and hosting an open house for families.

Ashley Deyton has four children enrolled in Yancey County schools.

“It kind of worries you because there’s been a huge gap in what they should have been learning, and they’re going back and they’re not getting all that time back,” she said. “So all these kids are gonna be behind, I’m afraid.”

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Catastrophic flooding from Helene wiped away so many small mountain roads across the county. They had to be repaired adequately enough for buses and students to travel safely. Two schools did not have power or water until last week, Laws said.

Remote learning was not feasible because communications systems were down and power was out.

“Learning is so important, but sometimes you have to prioritize things, and wellness and well-being came first,” Laws said. “So we were trying to meet all the student’s needs: physical, emotional and social needs.”

The school served as a distribution site for necessities, and other schools opened as shelters. Laws said his staff spent weeks checking on students and their families, some of them lost their homes. He said it’s impossible to make up for all the lost time and instruction.

“We’re just gonna have to make up instruction in the classroom when students are ready for it,” he said. “We’re not adding any time to the day or going to school on weekends.”

One school, Micaville Elementary, will remain closed. The school, built in the 1930s, sustained flood damage that’s beyond repair. Its 198 students will merge with two other schools, including Burnsville Elementary.

“It feels like the unexpected death of a family member,” said Micaville principal Melanie Bennett. “The building is very special to the community, to the county, and it’s sad that we can’t return to our building.”

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On Monday, many of her students will show up at Burnsville Elementary for homework and hugs. All the desks in all the classrooms are covered with new bookbags and school supplies, even blankets. The library will accommodate two classes to absorb the extra students from Micaville.

“We have a lot more students, a lot more teachers, and I think a lot more excitement,” said the school’s media specialist, Julie McKinney.

McKinney said she longs for the chatter laughter and energy of the students.

“I think just seeing the kids,” she said. “I have worried so much about them.”

Laws said while students have lost valuable instruction time, teachers will do their best to ensure they don’t fall behind.

“Learning is gonna happen. It’s gonna happen on its own time,” Laws said.

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