GREENSBORO, N.C. - A tornado forced three Guilford County Schools to close. On Wednesday, parents learned those schools will not re-open for the next school year.
Nearly two months after an EF-2 tornado hit Hampton, Peeler, and Erwin Montessori Elementary Schools, the district decided the damage is too devastating for students and teachers to return. Debris has been cleared, but the school building still needs a lot of work.
For all the parents and students impacted, been a whirlwind couple of months. The schools they adored are now sitting in limbo behind fences. School leaders are still going back and forth with the insurance companies to get a claim. They need that before they decide which schools get repaired, and which ones get rebuilt.
“[The process] is pretty extensive in the public sector, so there is no way that in which the schools could feasibly open for the 2018-19 school year,” said Dr. Sharon Contreras, the Superintendent.
For Peeler Students, who currently go to Bluford Elementary - nothing will change. They will stay put at Bluford. Parents had questions for Superintendent Contreras, but overall, are happy with the decision.
“I’m satisfied with the plan to keep us at Bluford,” said parent Tyesha Johnson, “I'm happy they didn't decide to move us to another school. That would have been an adjustment in itself.”
The students from Hampton have been going to Reedy Fork, which is about 10 miles or twenty minutes away from the Hampton area. School leaders gave parents two options: stay as a whole school at Reedy Fork, or split up the students between 2 closer schools – Simkins and Faulkener Elementary. The majority voted to stay, but not everyone is happy about it.
“This is where we all had to come together when the tornado came through,” said parent Staci Harrelson, “Those who were hit by the tornado and those who weren’t - we all had to come together [in this community] so why do we have to split apart and go over to Reedy Fork? That's way away. That’s not coming together.”
In a Thursday meeting, Guilford County Schools and Erwin Montessori parents decided students would not return to Erwin for the 2018-19 school year. 255 returning Erwin Montessori students from this school year will continue to attend school and participate in a Montessori program at Alamance. About 42 newly accepted PreK students and 43 kindergarten students at Erwin will also attend school at Alamance, with a preference given for siblings.
There’s a few small changes due to limited space at both of the schools. For example, no new magnet or kindergarten students will be accepted into the Hampton program. For Peeler’s program, no new magnet students, or new kindergarteners will be accepted either.
The Hampton decision to go to Reedy Fork next year will be formally approved Friday by the school board. That meeting is at the administrative building on Friday at 5pm.
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