Good afternoon Yancey County Schools Families,
A few weeks ago, the YCS Leadership team met with state officials to discuss calendar waivers and the return-to-school date for our students. We were granted two 20-day calendar extensions to address critical infrastructure needs in Yancey County. While we have made significant progress over the past seven weeks with water, sewer, electricity, and fiber lines for our schools, we anticipate ongoing roadway construction for months, if not years. As a result, an additional calendar waiver is not feasible.
The following key points were addressed during our discussions:
Employee Payroll – Ensuring continuity of payroll for all employees.
Return-to-School Date – Setting a reopening date that considers both infrastructure progress and the school calendar.
Weather Days – Balancing the calendar to allow additional weather days for the 2024-2025 school year.
After careful consideration, we selected Monday, November 18, 2024, as our return-to-school date. This date ensures continuity of payroll, allows for additional weather days, maintains our scheduled spring break, preserves the May 23 MHHS graduation date, and eliminates the need for Saturday school should inclement weather arise.
YCS Reopening Preparations
Since the hurricane, significant effort has gone into preparing for YCS’s reopening. School maintenance crews and custodians from neighboring regions have joined us to finalize repairs, cleaning, and other preparations. Additionally, we are grateful for the support of school counselors from nearby districts, who will be here next week to help support our students and families.
Our transportation team has assessed all bus routes to identify necessary changes due to damaged roads and bridges. YCS buses will only run on safe roadways, and specific community bus stops have been established to accommodate students in affected areas.
No Travel Roads
South Toe Area
7 Mile Ridge
Blue Rock (South Toe side)
GREEN MOUNTAIN AREA
Upper Pig Pen
Lower Pig Pen
Long Branch
Short Branch
Toe River Road down by O.C. Whitson’s
Lower Doe Bag
Cane River Area
All of 19W and all side roads
West Yancey Area
Bakers Creek
Dam Road
Banks Creek
Simms Fork
Pensacola Area
Pensacola Road closed. Local traffic only
Community Bus Stops (See graphic posted in the newsletter below)
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your school principal, bus driver, or the YCS Transportation Department. We appreciate your cooperation in meeting at designated community bus stops, bringing students to school, or arranging carpools with family and friends. As road conditions improve in different areas, we will adjust our routes as needed.
First Week Schedule
To ease the transition back, all schools will open on Monday, November 18, on a two hour delay through Wednesday, November 20, 2024. On November 21, 22, 25, 26 and December 2 and 3, we will operate on a one hour delay.
Thank you for your understanding and support as we work together to safely bring our students back to school. We look forward to welcoming all students next week!
Sincerely,
Kathy Amos
