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MDE provides update on schools impacted by tornadoes
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is announcing that as of today, all school districts impacted by the March 24 tornadoes and storms have resumed classes except for South Delta School District (SDSD), which is planning to reopen April 14.
The districts impacted are Amory County School District, Carroll County School District, Humphreys County School District, Monroe County School District, New Albany Public Schools, SDSD and Winona-Montgomery Consolidated District.
In the SDSD, all faculty, staff and students will be housed at South Delta Middle School, which has been cleared for use following repairs and safety inspections.
MDE has provided school districts across the state guidance on enrolling displaced students. Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, children and youth displaced by natural disasters meet the definition of homeless and are, therefore, eligible for McKinney-Vento services. Those services include parents and guardians being able to immediately enroll a student into another district regardless of access to birth certificates, vaccination records and other documents.
The MDE has also provided all school districts in the state maximum flexibility for scheduling statewide assessments by extending the statewide testing window on most assessments. If needed, tornado-affected districts may seek to extend scheduling of the 3rd grade reading assessment and assessments for seniors who need to retake an assessment to meet graduation requirements.
“MDE has been working with school district leaders to help them overcome obstacles to resume school as quickly as possible,” said Mike Kent, interim state superintendent of education. “We will continue to provide support to all affected districts, particularly the South Delta School District, whose community was the most severely damaged.”
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