WCPS: Update for Parents, Students & Staff as of 7p.m. Friday, October 14th
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Goldsboro, N.C. – On Thursday, October 13, Wayne County Public Schools (WCPS) announced its schedule of operations for next week. Below are important updates for parents, students and staff to help them plan accordingly:
Schedule of Operations
Monday, October 17: CLOSED for both students & staff
Tuesday, October 18: CLOSED, Optional Workday
Wednesday, October 19: CLOSED, Optional Workday
Thursday, October 20: OPEN, Regular Hours of Operation
Friday, October 21: OPEN, Regular Hours of Operation
Saturday, October 22: OPEN, Early Dismissal Schedule
Evacuation Shelters
Three schools are currently being used as evacuation shelters: Carver Elementary, Carver Heights Elementary, and Eastern Wayne High. The Wayne County Emergency Operations Center is looking ahead to next week and is actively working to relocate and/or consolidate shelter sites in order for the school district to resume operations. Information will be shared with the public as those decisions are made.
Please note: Bus stops will be setup at any evacuation shelter site, and buses will transport any students staying at a shelter to their home school.
Bus Routes
Please note: As possible, WCPS needs parents of students who have been displaced by flooding or other storm related issues to contact their child’s school on Tuesday in order for bus routes to be updated.
As of today, NCCDOT is reporting in excess of 50 Wayne County roadways and bridges that are still closed. This means that school buses will have to be detoured and rerouted until roadways are repaired. The WCPS Transportation Department is working diligently to update bus routes in these impacted areas, and plans to have revised bus route information available to parents sometime Wednesday.
Once bus route information is available, a notification will be made by WCPS via the website, social media, mobile app, and its automated notification system alerting parents that they can call their child’s school to get updates for specific bus routes.
Student Needs
The school district recognizes that its school communities have been greatly impacted by this week’s historical flooding event. On Thursday, October 20, WCPS plans to have school crisis teams in place to support those students or staff members who need someone to talk with concerning what has occurred. Parents are encouraged to let the school know if they have any particular concerns about their child.
Patience & Support In addition to having the inconvenience of going to school and work on a Saturday Make-Up Day, those areas of our county worst hit by high water issues are sure to have longer, later and more inconvenient bus routes that may last weeks to months until all of the roadways and bridges are repaired. While this is a difficult time for many members of our school communities, the WCPS administration recognizes that it will take the support of all stakeholders for the business of education to resume.
“The events of this week will impact our county for years,” states Dr. Michael Dunsmore, WCPS superintendent. "It has been amazing for me to see how our citizens have banded together to support each other during this crisis. In the same spirit of community, I am asking that our parents, students, and staff lend our school district some needed patience and support as we seek to hold school during this time of recovery."
