Reopening schools after hurricane a daunting task

PANAMACITY,FLA.— Regina Ferrell, a fourth-grade teacher in Bay County, stood before the local school board this week and pleaded: Please be flexible with teachers returning to classrooms after Hurricane Michael.

The board wants to reopen the county’s schools — the ones that weren’t destroyed — on Monday, with students returning two weeks later.

But teachers like Ferrell say that could be difficult.

“Monday’s awfully quick when so many of us are suffering,” said Ferrell, who lives in Panama City, the hardest-hit area.

The hurricane severely damaged her condo, leaving her without water, sewer service or electricity. The inside is stacked with food and other necessities in plastic tubs.

Reopening schools in the Florida district hit hardest by the hurricane Oct. 10 depends a lot on achieving some degree of normalcy outside the classroom for the 28,000 students and the 1,800 teachers and other employees.

The Category 4 storm slammed Bay County two weeks ago with winds of 155 mph. Some teachers whose homes were destroyed have spent nights in their classrooms or slept in tents and cars. All 36 of the district’s schools were damaged; six are unusable.

“We have a delicate balance between the humanitarian needs and the need to open schools in order to show our community that normal will exist again,” said district spokeswoman Sharon Michalik.

Michalik said some possibilities under discussion are tent cities for district employees and on-site day care for their children.