Urgent News Announcements

[[ SCHOOL UPDATE as of 10/2/24 @ 1:07 PM ]]

We hope this letter finds you safe and well as we begin to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene. First and foremost, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the linemen from across the area who have worked tirelessly over the past week to help restore power and bring our community back on its feet. Their dedication and hard work are deeply appreciated.

I would also like to personally thank the Effingham County School District Maintenance Department for their commitment and long hours in ensuring that our school buildings are safe and ready for our students' return. Their effort has been instrumental in our recovery process.

Currently, we are pleased to share that approximately 87% of our county has had power restored. Therefore, we are prepared to resume school on Thursday October 3rd at our normal times. We know that there are still approximately 13% without power, and we understand that some students will not be able to make it to school on Thursday or Friday. We will not hold that against them. Our goal is to try and create some sense of normalcy for our students and families. If that means we have some of our students back in the building, where we can offer cool air, good meals, and time for them to interact with their peers and teachers, we believe that is a positive step forward.

Please note that students are not required to wear uniforms on Thursday or Friday, but we do ask parents to ensure their children are dressed appropriately. We will show grace to our students, staff, and families as we re-open. It will be very important for us to take small steps over these next few days to support our students, staff, and families. 

Our Principals, Transportation Department, and Nutrition Department are all prepared and excited to welcome back our students. We are ready to resume our school schedule, and look forward to reconnecting with our students and families.

As we move forward, please continue to keep safety in mind, and do not hesitate to reach out if there are ongoing challenges you may be facing in the aftermath of the storm. Our community’s resilience has once again shown itself through neighbors helping neighbors, and we are proud to serve each and every one of you. As we finish up this week and look forward to next week, I want to assure everyone that we will remain on our regular scheduled school calendar. 

Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 7th and 8th) - Normal School Days

Wednesday (Oct. 9th) - Early Release - Parent Teacher Conferences

Thursday (staff work day), Friday, and Monday (Oct. 10th, 11th, and 14th) - Holiday for Students - Fall Break

Thank you for your patience and support throughout this process. Together, we will continue to support our students and ensure a positive and nurturing learning environment for them.

Take care, and we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Yancy J. Ford
Superintendent
Effingham County School District

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 10/1/24 @ 9:51 AM ]]

Due to the current circumstances with 30% of our families still without power, all Effingham County schools will remain closed on Wednesday, October 2, 2024. We tentatively plan to reopen schools on Thursday; however, we will make the final decision by 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday after reevaluating the power situation in our community.

When we do reopen, we understand that some residents may still be without power, and we will be flexible and supportive of those families. Our goal is to bring students back to an environment where they can enjoy cool classrooms, warm meals, and a sense of normalcy with friends and staff.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to navigate these challenges together. Please note that the Effingham Board of Education will be open for normal business hours on Wednesday.

Essential Staff will be contacted by Supervisors if they need to report to work on Wednesday.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Sincerely,

Yancy Ford
Superintendent, Effingham County Schools

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 9/30/24 @ 9:30 AM ]]

With over 13,000 still without power, we have made the decision to cancel school for Tuesday, October 1, 2024. We continue to work closely with our Power Outage Partners and the Effingham Emergency Management Agency as we receive updates.

The good news is that all our schools have power restored, and our essential workers are actively checking schools and bus routes to ensure a safe return when possible.

Thank you for your understanding and partnership during this time. I will give another update tomorrow by noon. Thanks again and I hope you all continue to be safe. 

Sincerely,
Yancy Ford
Superintendent

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 9/29/24 @ 12:00 PM ]]

We want to take a moment to update you on our ongoing efforts to monitor the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Effingham County and our surrounding areas. As you may know, we are currently facing significant challenges, with over 16,000 residents still without power. We are immensely grateful to the linemen across our state who are working tirelessly to restore power and support our communities, often spending time away from their own families to help ours.

At this time, we have five schools—South Effingham Middle School, South Effingham High School, Effingham College & Career Academy, and Blandford Elementary School—that remain without power. In light of these circumstances, we will not have school on Monday, September 30, 2024.

The health and safety of our students, staff, and community are our top priorities. We will be making decisions each day regarding school operations for the following day. It is essential that approximately 90% of our residents have their power restored before we can move forward with resuming classes.

Once we are able to reopen our schools, we want to assure you that we will provide grace and support to our students and their families. We understand that some families may still face challenges with power outages and may be unable to attend school. We are committed to helping each other through this process of getting back to normal.

Thank you for your understanding and support during this time. Together, we will overcome these challenges.

Sincerely,

Yancy Ford
School Superintendent
Effingham County Schools

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 9/28/24 @ 6:36 PM ]]

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe following Hurricane Helene. I want to provide an update on the current situation regarding power restoration and our plans for returning to school.

At this time, power has been restored to all but five of our school locations. We are working closely with the Effingham Emergency Management Agency and Georgia Power to monitor ongoing power outages across the county. We will meet early tomorrow afternoon to determine the safest course of action for school next week. Currently, we still have approximately 18,000 residents without power. Once we can safely transport students and resume classes, we will do so.

I recognize that many of our families are still without power, and I want to reassure everyone that once we are able to resume school, we will not penalize students who cannot make it to school due to storm-related issues.

The well-being of our community remains our highest priority, and we will continue to support each other during this challenging time. For those families in need, we are committed to providing meals to students once we can reopen.

Our goal is to reach at least 85-90% of homes with restored power before transitioning back to school. We will keep monitoring the situation closely and make informed decisions to ensure everyone’s safety.

Thank you for your patience, resilience, and support as we work through the aftermath of this storm together. I will provide further updates tomorrow with more details about our plans for school openings. 

Stay safe and take care.

Sincerely,
Yancy Ford
Superintendent
Effingham County School District

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 9/27/24 @ 2:36 PM ]]

I hope you all are safe after Hurricane Helene moved through our community and neighboring areas last night. While many residents are still without power, my thoughts and prayers are with each of you during this time.

I want to provide an update regarding the next few days. There will be no school activities today or on Saturday. We are working closely with the Effingham Emergency Management Agency to monitor the situation, and I will share more information later this weekend about school on Monday, particularly in light of ongoing power outages.

I am thankful for everyone's safety, and we will continue to keep you informed as we navigate the aftermath of the storm. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Sincerely,
Yancy Ford
Superintendent of Schools

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 9/26/24 @ 10:46 AM ]]

First, I want to thank each of you for helping make the adjustments for today. Your commitment and dedication to our community does not go unnoticed.

As Hurricane Helene approaches, we want to inform you that the Effingham County School District is working closely with Effingham County Emergency Management and receiving updates from the Georgia Emergency Management System to monitor the storm and its potential impact on our community.

The storm is expected to pass through our area tonight and into early Friday morning. Due to the uncertainty surrounding potential wind damage and power outages, we have made the decision to close all schools on  Friday, September 27, 2024. The current forecast predicts the storm will move above Effingham County by noon on Friday. We will work directly with Principals and staff in regards to any extracurricular activities on Friday evening and or Saturday. We will re-evaluate the potential damages in the morning.

Our priority is the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we take these precautions. Please stay safe and take necessary precautions as the storm passes through.

Thank you for your continued trust and partnership as we work together for the betterment of our students and community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Yancy J. Ford
Superintendent
Effingham County School District

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 9/25/24 @ 3:50 PM ]]

As we continue to closely monitor Hurricane Helene and its potential impact on our community, we want to inform you that we are working in close coordination with Effingham Emergency Management. Based on the latest information, there is a possibility that the storm may reach our area earlier than expected on Thursday evening.

In order to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families, we will release school two hours early on Thursday, September 26, 2024 . Please expect students to arrive home early tomorrow. This will allow us to have all buses, students, and families safely home between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. 

Please know that the safety of our entire school community is our top priority. We will re-evaluate the track of the storm again on Thursday and communicate any additional decisions regarding school operations for Friday. After school care providers from the YMCA and LEAP will be in contact with registered student's families concerning any closure hours tomorrow. 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we take these precautions. Please stay safe and continue to monitor communications from the school district for further updates. Thank you for your Partnership with us. 

• BES - 12:30
• GES - 1:15
• MES - 12:35
• SHES - 12:35
• SEES - 12:35
• EES - 1:10
• RES - 12:35
• SES - 1:10
• EMS - 1:35
• ECMS - 1:40
• ECHS - 1:40
• SEMS - 1:50
• SEHS - 1:50
• ECCA - 12:25

[[ School Board Millage Rate Public Hearing UPDATE as of 8/06/24 @ 1:54 PM ]]

Due to the inclement weather from Cyclone Debby, the Effingham County Board of Education will reschedule the Millage Rate Public Hearings that were previously scheduled for Wednesday August 7, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to Thursday August 8, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The Hearings will be held at the Effingham County Board of Education Central Office at 405 N. Ash Street, Springfield, GA 31329. If you have any questions please reach out to the Superintendent's Office at (912) 754-2537.

[[ Regular Scheduled Board Meeting UPDATE as of 8/06/24 @ 1:54 PM ]]

Due to the inclement weather from Cyclone Debby, the Effingham County Board of Education will reschedule the August 7, 2024 meeting that was previously scheduled for Wednesday August 7, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. to Thursday August 8, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. The Regular Scheduled Board Meeting will be held at the Effingham County Board of Education Central Office at 405 N. Ash Street, Springfield, GA 31329. The agenda will remain the same as the meeting scheduled for August 7, 2024.  If you have any questions please reach out to the Superintendent's Office at (912) 754-2537.

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 8/06/24 @ 12:15 PM ]]

The Effingham School District is closely monitoring weather conditions from Cyclone Debby in collaboration with the Effingham Emergency Management Agency (EEMA) to assess the potential impact on roads and our area. The forecast predicts an additional 4-8 inches of rain in our region over the next day, and several roads in the county are currently impassable.

As a precaution, schools will be closed on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, and school will not start on Thursday. We understand that the full impact of the storm is still uncertain.

Our primary goal is to ensure everyone's safety. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. The tentative plan below aims to ensure everyone has an opportunity to attend Open House before the school year begins.

Plan:

• Wednesday August 7th: Schools Closed

• Thursday August 8th: No School for Students

• Friday August 9th: Tentative: Pre-Planning Work Day with Open House Activities

  • 3-6 p.m.: Elementary Open House

  • 4-7 p.m.: Middle and High School Open House

• Monday August 12th:  First Day of School

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 8/05/24 @ 5:03 PM ]]

The Effingham County School District is canceling Open House for the evening due to heavy rains in the area. We will provide further information later. Thank you for your understanding and stay safe!

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 8/05/24 @ 11:51 AM ]]

The Effingham County School District is closely coordinating with Effingham Emergency Management to monitor Hurricane Debby. As a result, all school activities and Open House events for Middle and High Schools are canceled for Tuesday, August 6, 2024. We will continue to send updates in regards to MS/HS Open Houses being rescheduled as well as the start of school on Thursday. 

Elementary Open House will still be today from 4-7. 

The safety of our students, staff, and families remains our top priority. We will continue to monitor the weather and make informed decisions regarding events scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through this storm. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions. 

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 8/04/24 @ 3:30 PM ]]

The Effingham County School District is closely coordinating with Effingham Emergency Management to monitor Tropical Storm Debby. All school activities and pre-planning events will proceed as scheduled on Monday, August 5, 2024.

Unless there is a significant change in weather conditions, the Open House for elementary schools will take place on Monday, August 5th, from 4-7 PM as planned.

The safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority. We will continue to monitor the weather and make informed decisions regarding events scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through this storm.

[[ SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE as of 8/04/24 @ 8:48 AM ]]

The Effingham County School System is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Debby and will update our families regarding any potential Open House changes as we gain more information. Thank you for your trust and patience. 

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