Perry County School District faces storm aftermath as cleanup continues, classes remain on hold

Cleanup at Perry County School District continues and classes remain canceled through Friday, March 21, after district buildings sustained varying degrees of damage during storms Friday night, March 14.

A news release from the district stated that returning to in-person instruction is its "top priority", and superintendent Fara Jones said administrators have been working on planning how and when classes will resume.

“That effort, led by Chief Academic Officer Jane Narrow, is ongoing, and we are committed to returning our students to in-person learning as soon as possible,” Jones said in the release. “We know that is what’s best for kids, and that’s what we are going to do. While we do not have specific details yet, I want to assure our staff and parents that we want to give our students a great finish to this school year.”

Jones added that there has been a "great deal of activity" over the past five days, including overall damage assessment, a disaster restoration team securing buildings to prevent additional damage and structural engineers determining the status of each of the district's buildings.

The high school sustained "major damage", the primary, elementary and career center buildings received roof damage and the old high school building had "many broken windows" resulting in damage to the interior in addition to roof damage.

“We are heartbroken not just about the damages to campus, but also for those who have suffered losses at home,” Jones said. “We want to be able to support them in whatever way we can.”

City and county officials have reached out to Jones to offer support in the wake of the storm, and C.J. Huff, superintendent of Joplin Public Schools during the May 2011 tornado that ravaged the city, has been on-site to offer "valuable insight and advice" to administrators.

"We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our community,” Jones said. “We are so very grateful to every individual and organization that has offered to volunteer and donate whatever we may need. We aren’t quite sure exactly what our needs are today, but we will share that information soon.”

The district will continue to provide updates to parents, staff and the community at large as more information becomes available.

“We understand that everyone wants to know when we will reopen school, but we don’t have that answer just yet,” Jones said. “We are all grateful for our community’s continued support and patience as we work to get the information we need to move forward. We’re going to need some grace in the coming weeks as we begin the process of recovery.”