JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Governor Mike Kehoe announced today that he and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are collaborating with school districts to ensure students can return to class after recent storms.
“Now that the storms have passed and we are turning our attention to recovery, we must prioritize ensuring our children can safely return to school to continue their education and prevent any academic delays,” Kehoe said in the news release.
According to the governor’s office, it was revealed that two dozen school districts were affected by the storms, resulting in significant building damage and significant power loss.
The storms have also potentially led to temporary or long-term displacements for students, as many school buildings endured structural damage.
In order to ensure that students have reliable transportation, DESE is also collaborating with school districts affected by Friday’s storm aftermath. The news release also noted that DESE wants to ensure the impacted districts aren’t also financially penalized.
Kehoe emphasized the importance of working closely with impacted districts to address these challenges.
“We began working on this issue early Saturday morning and have been in close contact with Governor Kehoe since the very beginning,” said Commissioner Karla Eslinger. “Our top priority is ensuring students and educators can safely return to learning environments. I am speaking directly to impacted school leaders to ensure we’re making rapid progress to help schools recover. We appreciate Governor Kehoe’s leadership and support during these challenges.”
Efforts are being made to assess the full extent of the damage and determine the best plan of action to help affected students and schools.
Affected school districts are encouraged to contact their respective DESE Area Supervisor of Instruction for further assistance, which can be found here.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
