Students head back to class Tuesday in Horry

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     Students in the Horry County Schools return to class Tuesday, three weeks after the approach of Hurricane Florence forced their closure, Supt. Rick Maxey, Ph.D. announced Sunday.

     Faculty and staff will return to campus across the district Monday to make facilities ready for the return of students, knowing that for many the disaster wrought by Florence and flood waters that followed is far from over, Maxey said.

     “We realize that many of our students’ families were affected by Hurricane Florence’s flood waters, and we will work through these situations with patience, understanding, and support for our children,” Maxey said in a news release.

     Highways remain closed in the county due to flooding associated with Florence, and that will have an impact on transportation by school bus and personal vehicles, Maxey said.

     Current road closings can be found here.

Superintendent’s message

     Below is Supt. Maxey’s complete message:

     After an extensive review of data collected daily by our operations staff concerning school transportation routes and facilities, we are asking all HCS employees to return to their normal work schedules on Monday, October 1, 2018.

     Our employees will use this time on Monday to prepare for our students’ return on Tuesday, October 2, 2018. We realize that many of our students’ families were affected by Hurricane Florence’s flood waters, and we will work through these situations with patience, understanding, and support for our children.

     Over the next week or so, we expect our County’s roads to return to their normal conditions. However, in the meantime as some roads remain flooded, our Transportation Department will temporarily adjust some bus stop locations in order to maneuver around the flooded areas safely.

     Today and Monday, members of our Transportation Department will be reaching out to the parents of students who reside in flooded areas to make them aware of these temporary bus stop adjustments. However, if you have additional questions regarding your child’s bus stop location, I encourage you to contact your local bus office via the telephone numbers listed at the following link: https://www.horrycountyschools.net/Page/11697.

     Our bus offices will open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, October 1st, to help answer any questions prior to the opening of schools for students on Tuesday, October 2nd.

     As we begin the process of reopening schools and working alternate transportation routes, we anticipate delays regarding bus pick-up and drop-off times since travel challenges remain with multiple road closures and the ongoing removal process of the flood barrier on the Highway 501 Bypass.

     With each passing day, however, we expect more roads to open and delays to decline. Until these improvements occur, we ask for your patience as we work toward a sense of normalcy.

     Since we anticipate increased traffic during school arrival and dismissal times in certain attendance areas due to road closures, we ask parents who transport their children to allow more time for school drop-offs and pick-ups.

     Please visit horrycounty.org/gis/roadClosures/ for the most up-to-date listing of local road closures in Horry County.

     Thank you all for your support, patience, and compassion over these last three weeks. If you sustained damage or hardships during this flooding event and need help, please reach out to your child’s school administration as they may be able to assist you and provide additional resources that may be available.

     Since the road to recovery for many is just beginning, we will certainly work with our staff, students, and parents on an individual basis to the best of our abilities.

     We look forward to seeing your children at school on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.

Updates

     Updates will be posted here as events warrant and as is possible, with complete coverage in the next Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.