More than 90 Vermont schools are still closed as of Wednesday because of damage to roads and buildings related to Tropical Storm Irene, according to Jill Remick, communications director of the Vermont Department of Education.
The department released a list of the opening dates for schools, and only five schools are closed until further notice. Nine schools in the worst hit areas have delayed the first day of school until after Sept. 12; 23 are opening on Sept. 6. Five schools are closed until further notice.
Only one school – South Royalton Elementary and High School – sustained damage ($300,000 worth) from floodwaters (and school starts on Sept. 6). Every room in the Moretown Elementary School was coated in backed up sewage after floods swamped the town sewage system. Cleaning crews are in the building today, but it looks like the floors will have to be replaced, Remick said.
“It looks like the majority survived unscathed, but a lot of schools don’t have power or water or they’re on a town’s sewage system not working so school can’t open,” Remick said.
Most of the delays are related to road damage – buses can’t negotiate the gutted backroads in many towns. In some places, athletic fields or playgrounds are under water. A number of towns are also doing double duty – serving as emergency shelters and community centers in towns that are struggling with recovery efforts. Harwood Union High School, for example, has opened up a classroom as a daycare for Moretown Elementary students. Cavendish Town Elementary School is the headquarters for the Vermont National Guard.
“Schools are playing this important role now (as shelters),” Remick said. “They have bathrooms, kitchens and space everyone knows where schools are.”
One consolation prize? At least school hadn’t started yet in most places.
