McDowell County Schools are now open and serving students

McDowell County, W.Va - On Mar 9th, Governor Patrick Morrisey announced that just three weeks after severe floods hit southern West Virginia, all schools are now open across the state. On March 10th, McDowell County reopens to serve students, meaning all 55 counties are operational.

“I am so thankful for the educators, school staff, and state and local officials who worked around the clock to quickly recover and get kids back in school,” said Governor Morrisey. “This is a significant achievement, and one that was made possible through teamwork and sacrifice. We know the work is not done, and we will continue to support southern West Virginia as they recover.”

“When disasters hit our state, our superintendents, educators and school personnel are among the first to respond to the needs of children and families,” said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. “McDowell County is no exception. From feeding the community to getting clothing and bare necessities collected and distributed, the school system did it all. I am so proud of what they accomplished so quickly to get children back to school and resume some level of normalcy. We will continue to support their recovery because we know there remains much work to do.”

“I am humbled by the outpouring of support and love we have received in McDowell County,” said McDowell County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ingrida Barker. “Our principals, educators, counselors and staff were committed to the students from the very beginning, even though many of them suffered flood damage to their own homes. We call it ‘McDowell Strong’ because we work together until the job is done. With our students returning to their schools in person, we will be able to resume instruction while also supporting them as they recover from this traumatic disaster that has touched everyone in our community.”

Under the leadership of Governor Morrisey, the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) has been essential to flood recovery and efforts to reopen schools in areas hardest hit by recent flooding. WVDE staff have traveled to McDowell County to cover shifts in the emergency shelters, provided support to create a back-to-school plan and calendar adjustments, ensured bus routes had necessary signage where roads were damaged, worked with impacted counties to determine any equipment  or financial needs, and allowed parents or guardians to pick up multi-day meal boxes for their children.