Many schools to reopen Wednesday

By D. AILEEN DODD and GRACIE BONDS STAPLES


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Most metro Atlanta students will return to school Wednesday after getting a day off as communities recovered from a record-drenching storm that flooded streets, subdivisions and submerged one elementary school.

However, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding schools will not be open for students on Wednesday.

While students enjoyed a sunny Tuesday, public school maintenance crews were mopping up water that crept into buildings and school transportation executives were mapping out alternate bus routes around blocked streets.

The changes may delay pick up times for kids in Forsyth, Fulton, Atlanta, DeKalb, and Gwinnett school districts today, but school will resume as normal.

In Cobb County, however, where rising waters swallowed Clarkdale Elementary in Austell, students will get another day off as school officials figure out what to do about the building and its 442 kids.

The students will be sent to new schools when classes resume. Furniture stored in the district’s warehouse will be moved to Austell Intermediate and Compton Elementary Schools to accommodate the displaced students.

On Tuesday, the main school building where students spent much of their time was still under water.

“It’s looking pretty bleak for the future of that facility,” said Doug Goodwin, Cobb County Schools spokesman. “Whenever it’s deemed safe, we will have crews go in to determine the damage and evaluate what the potential losses are.”

A national estimate reports that elementary schools cost about $6.5 million. The schools cost tens of thousands more to equip.

In Douglas County, school officials said schools would remain closed a third day because of a damaged water main that severely cut water pressure to schools.

Karen Stroud, spokeswoman for Douglas County schools, said that because so many county roads and bridges are still closed, school officials are working with city, county and state officials to evaluate the situation.

“It appears when we reopen we’ll have many bus route changes,” she said.

Late Tuesday afternoon, three schools were still without power and all but four of the district’s 32 schools had no water.

“We won’t be able to open until the power and water services are restored,” said Stroud. “If water is restored but we’re still under a boil water advisory, we’ll use hand sanitizers and our food services department will use paper products, bottled water, whatever is necessary to have sanitized food preparation.”