Sorry kids. Columbus City Schools says it is still set to begin classes on Aug. 20 after devastating storms damaged schools across the city.
At an Aug. 14 press conference at West High School, Columbus City Schools Superintendent Angela Chapman said the state's largest district was still prepared to return to school on Aug. 20. On Aug. 11, devastating storms and a tornado ripped through Columbus and central Ohio, leading to power outages for hundreds of thousands of customers.
Chapman said there was damage to the power infrastructure and some CCS buildings, but the district "was on track" to come back despite the "unexpected challenge" the storms presented as the district prepared
for its return.
"This is the moment we've been waiting for, the parents that are in the room, we're ready to send our kids back," Chapman said. "We do not want to push back the first day for the start of school ... it's very important to us to adhere to the calendar, we don't want to start off the school year with a loss of instructional time."
Upper Arlington City Schools, which was scheduled to return to class on Aug. 12, delayed its first day of school toAug. 17 after high winds ripped through the city and caused damage to infrastructure.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said that in the wake of the storms, 30 Columbus Schools buildings were without power, and Chapman said damage was sustained to several buildings, including the Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls and Westgate Elementary.
Ginther said "the Columbus Way" meant making sure the entire community worked to make sure CCS returned to school on time next week, especially those impacted by the tornado that hit the South Side.
"It's important to all of us that these children participate in the rituals of back to school, meet their teachers and benefit from the stability and support that our schools have to offer," Ginther said.
Chapman said the school was partnering with shelters and other services working with families who were displaced to help them with the first day of school, and resources would be available for families at the district's Back to School Resource Fair held Aug. 15 on the Fort Hayes campus.
Chapman said it would not have been possible to return Aug. 20 as planned without the support of the city and other stakeholders.
"Across the district, across the community and city, I want you all to know we're doing that work collaboratively and we will continue to approach this work in a spirit of collaboration because that's what our community needs," Chapman said.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus City Schools returning Aug. 20 despite storm damage
