McDowell County Schools
All donations received will be directed to the disaster relief fund for McDowell County Schools, assisting with recovery efforts related to Hurricane Helene. Thank you for your support!
McDowell County Schools Update
Parents as we prepare our schools for students to return on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, we want you to know that both student and staff safety is our paramount concern. Schools will operate on a two-hour delay with limited bus routes. We will publish information by Monday evening for community bus stops for each of our schools. We will remain in a two-hour delay status for the remainder of the week to allow plenty of daylight for our drivers in the morning, and to ensure that our student drivers may safely travel to school.
Over the past week, our school team and the community have been working around the clock to restore and recover from a devastating storm. We recognize this recovery will take some time, and we are committed to being here during this time. I am happy to report that as of 4:00 pm today, all of our schools except North Cove and Old Fort have regained power. That said, we are monitoring the power at North Cove, and according to the power company, they expect the school's power to be restored before Monday.
Unfortunately, Old Fort Elementary School endured flood damage during the storm that will not allow us to immediately occupy the building; however, work has already begun to restore the school. Parents with children that attend Old Fort Elementary School, we will have a community meeting to talk with you about how we plan to conduct operations while the building is being restored.
Old Fort parents, if it is safe for you to attend, please join us on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at one of the two meeting times. The first meeting will begin at 4 pm and for those that need a later time, we will host a second meeting at 6 pm at Greenlee Baptist Church 5967 US-70, Old Fort. In this meeting, we will share our plan for the Old Fort Students to remain together in another location. We are optimistic about getting the students of Old Fort prepared to begin school on Monday, October 14, 2024, in the new location. Parents, we appreciate your patience as we work to make the necessary arrangements for the upcoming transition.
All staff please report to work on Monday, October 7, 2024, on a 1-hour delay if it is safe for you to do so. If North Cove Elementary’s power is not restored over the weekend, we will communicate with the staff any updates to this schedule by Sunday at 3:00 pm.
Although this storm has left us with many unanswered questions, we continue to count our blessings and we are grateful for all of the prayers of support during this time of need. I am honored to serve McDowell County Schools, and it is a privilege to live and work in such a hardworking compassionate community. In closing, thank you to all of the Emergency Service personnel, Law Enforcement, Local Officials, and the numerous state and national supporters here working alongside all of our volunteers who have helped us to begin to stand our community up. Thank you and good evening.
