Schools closed because of power outages
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 30, 2011 1:46 PM
Three Wayne County schools were closed today in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, with an additional elementary school added because of an overnight storm.
Power outages and damages from fallen tree limbs prompted officials to close schools on Monday. Students and staff at the bulk of the schools were to report back today, with the exception of those at Goldsboro High School, Wayne School of Engineering and Wayne Academy.
Traditional schools had only been in session two days when the hurricane struck over the weekend. GHS and Wayne School of Engineering had started classes earlier.
No decisions have been made about make-up days for students, said Ken Derksen, public information officer.
"It's unique because typically we'll close all schools or keep them all open," he said. "Fortunately, Wayne School of Engineering and GHS operate on a different calendar than the traditional schools, so we'll be working to set a (make-up) date for those three schools."
Meanwhile, a thunderstorm Monday night created further problems for the school district. Northeast Elementary School was initially under a two-hour delay because of a power outage, but at 9 a.m. officials announced the school would remain closed.