4p.m., Monday, October 17th WCPS Updates - 2-Hour Delay on Thursday & No Saturday Schoo

Goldsboro, N.C. – As our county continues to recover from this historical storm and flooding event, Wayne County Public Schools (WCPS) has the following updates for students, parents and staff:

Schedule of Operations

Monday, October 17: CLOSED for both students & staff

Tuesday, October 18: CLOSED for students, Optional Workday for staff

Wednesday, October 19: CLOSED for students, Optional Workday for staff

Thursday, October 20: OPEN, 2-Hour Delay for students and staff

Friday, October 21: OPEN, Regular Hours of Operation

Please note: There will be no Saturday session on October 22 as originally scheduled. A 2-Hour delay will be held on Thursday, October 20, to give bus drivers the opportunity to start their routes with daylight, which will be important for those drivers navigating buses along unfamiliar routes, roadways and/or detours for the first time to pick up students in impacted areas.

Evacuation Shelters/Displaced students

As released last week, the Wayne County Emergency Operations Center is actively working to relocate and/or consolidate school-based evacuation shelters in order for the school district to hold classes at those school sites on Thursday. Information will be shared with the public as those decisions are made. WCPS will have bus stops at any evacuation shelter site in order to transport students staying at a shelter to their home school. These special bus stops will remain as long as there is a need.

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. This includes parents of students who were displaced and who are currently staying in hotels, with extended family, and/or somewhere other than their primary residence.

Bus Routes

WCPS recognizes that there are numerous 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 by noon Wednesday. Parents are reminded that those areas of our county worst hit by high water issues are expected to have longer, later and more inconvenient bus routes that may last weeks to months until all of the roadways and bridges are repaired.

Please note: Parents of students living in impacted areas can contact their child’s school after 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday if they need specific information about their child’s route.

Student/Staff Needs

WCPS recognizes that its school communities have been greatly impacted by both Hurricane Matthew and the historical flooding event that followed. On Thursday, October 20, school crisis teams will be in place to support those students or staff members who need someone to talk with concerning what has occurred. Parents are encouraged to let schools know if they have any particular concerns about their child.

Staff members who have personal or family concerns are also encouraged to contact REACH, the WCPS Employee Assistances Program (EAP), at 1-800-950-3434. REACH will provide free 24/7 assistance for issues such as:

Depression, anxiety and other emotional issues Balancing work/life needs Job Stress and other job-related problems Relationship, parenting and family problems Other life stressors

Please note: REACH services are free and available to an employee’s spouse, family members, or other legal dependents who reside in the employee’s household.

“We recognize that many of our students, parents and staff are dealing with a high level of stress as a result of the circumstances they are now faced with,” states Dr. Michael Dunsmore, WCPS superintendent. "Wayne County Public Schools will do everything it can to support our school communities during this period of recovery. We hope canceling the planned Saturday session will help prevent any further inconveniences for our stakeholders and hopefully help reduce the stress of those working to cleanup.” -- Ken Derksen, Director of Communication Services/PIO