Seems it was only a couple of weeks ago when we watched the devastation Hurricane Harvey leveled on Texas and Louisiana with wind and rain. Our hearts went out to the residents for the havoc the storm caused in their personal and professional lives. But, we also heard stories of amazing resiliency as people began to put their lives back together and move back toward normalcy.

And then, Hurricane Irma eyed Florida and the southeastern U.S. Evacuees from Florida either stopped in Griffin for shelter or moved past to points north. By Friday, all indications aligned that we would be in the path of a significant weather event by the beginning of the week. Our crisis team met with city and county emergency management officials to view National Weather Service briefings, and we consulted with surrounding school districts and shared information. District leadership reviewed all incoming information to devise options we might consider. We decided to cancel school on Monday and Tuesday to provide families time to take appropriate safety precautions as the storm approached. We continued to meet and work with local emergency officials to coordinate our response with them over the duration of the storm.

Tropical storm Irma impacted our community, albeit not quite as strong or persistent as Harvey, but damaging in its own right. Tree damage, power outages, and road closures were significant across the county. I'm sure you've seen photos of the damage in several places where grand, old oak trees uprooted and crashed to the ground. The oak that fell on the Taylor Street campus was impressive and pulled up chunks of concrete sidewalks as it fell on the Parent Service Center. While there are no limbs poking through the roof, several leaks formed. Cleaning up the tree and repairing the roof will take time and will not be cheap. Several of us attended meetings with city and county officials to assess damage and cleanup plans on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. We weren't ready to reopen schools due to clean up efforts. Local power and road crews didn't need school traffic complicating the work they had to do. Many people experienced power outages lasting two to three days.

On Wednesday, we had four schools without power, several roads were deemed impassable and internet accessibility was unknown. The day was spent conducting a review of all our facilities for damage to buildings, accessibility, food supply, etc. We lost a minimal amount of food inventory and our buildings sustained minor damage. Over all, we were very fortunate. Our leadership team decided to reopen schools Thursday morning. While conditions may not be perfect, it's time to resume normal activities while the cleanup continues.

I want to thank our partners at the City of Griffin and Spalding County who cooperated fully with us to make a return to school possible. City and County crews were fantastic in meeting the challenges presented. And, thanks to all of the GSCS staff, for your patience and flexibility. We will get through this and be stronger for it.

 

Have a great weekend!
Jim Smith

Superintendent

"The teacher who is indeed wise does
not bid you to enter the house of his
wisdom but rather leads you to the
threshold of your mind ."

~ Kahil Gibran