After the ice, back to school

Mike James, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·2 min read

Feb. 23—Schools are gradually getting back to normal — or what passes for normal during a global pandemic — after two weeks of snow and ice storms paralyzed Northeast Kentucky.

School officials report power has been restored and parking lots have been scraped clear of ice. Teachers, many of whom had spent the preceding weeks dealing with their own power outages, are back in their classrooms, although not every district is bringing children back yet for in-person classes.

Power has been restored to Ashland schools, all of which went dark during the storm, Superintendent Sean Howard said. Children, except for those who have chosen all-virtual classes, are back in their buildings today.

There is no damage to report, aside from some $500 worth of food, mostly milk products, that had to be tossed because coolers lost power, he said.

Boyd County also lost power to its schools, and the last of them — Boyd County High School and Boyd County Middle School — had power restored by Monday morning, Superintendent Bill Boblett said.

However, school was out in the district Monday because roads in the county remain slick with ice and some are still obstructed with downed trees and power lines, he said.

Greenup schools didn't lose power but a significant part of the district did, which means many children couldn't log on for virtual classes, according to Superintendent Traysea Moresea. Rural roads have been impassible for buses, some of which have been stuck at drivers' homes. The district has a take-home policy for some routes where returning the bus to school would be more costly than leaving it with the driver. Some bus turnarounds are not navigable.

Monday was a non-traditional instruction day. Tuesday also will be NTI. Wednesday is NTI under the district's hybrid plan.

If conditions permit, students will be back in their classrooms Thursday, she said.

Russell did not have power issues but each of its buildings has minor roof leaks following the storms. "Snow and flat roofs are not friends," Superintendent Sean Horne said.

Russell students were in class Monday and bus routes were cleared, he said.

Children in each district are being given extra time to complete assignments and teachers in some districts are holding off on assigning new material.