Hurricane Ian Causes School Closures in Florida

Hurricane¹ Ian Causes School Closures in Florida

Rescue and recovery² operations are continuing in areas affected³ by the storm in southwestern Florida. Several school systems in the area cannot yet say when they will be ready to reopen.

Some schools are without power and are still examining the damage from Ian. Officials are also trying to find out how many teachers and other employees⁴ will not be able to return to work.

Experts say long-term⁵ school shutdowns can have a harmful effect on students.

"In a week or two, we'll have forgotten about Hurricane Ian. But these districts and schools and students will be struggling months and years later," said Cassandra R. Davis. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy⁷ at the University of North Carolina.

Florida's Department of Education said recently that 68 of the state's 75 school districts were open for in-person classes, with two more expected to reopen soon.

Abbie Tarr Trembley is a mother of four in Sarasota. She told The Associated⁸ Press that her youngest child, a 9-year-old boy, asks each day when he can go back to school. "Every morning he's like, ‘Mom, is it a school day? Is it a school day?'" she said. Trembley added⁹, "Every morning, I'm almost in tears."

The hurricane damaged her house and the family lost power for three days. She was thankful the damage was not worse. But she has begun to worry about the effects on her children and their education. Her son already repeated first grade to help him make up for school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online learning¹⁰ has increased in recent years for schools dealing¹¹ with natural disasters and the coronavirus pandemic. But researchers have said studies show that online learning over long periods can be difficult for children.

The University of North Carolina's Davis has studied how Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018 affected student learning in the southeastern U.S. She said research suggests some elementary students continued to fall behind in school up to two years after a storm. Students who had wealthy parents or were in districts with healthy budgets were more likely to recover faster, the research showed.

Workers in affected areas are repairing damage inside schools. But for now, officials say flooding on some streets has made it unsafe for students and families to reach the area. School leaders are also trying to find out which teachers and employees will not be able to return when schools reopen.

Some schools will be closed for up to a week, while others will take longer to reopen.

Trembley said she had heard that when schools do start back up, classes will take place online. But she hopes that is not the case. "There's no way that I can assist⁶ a 9-year-old with schoolwork and continue my job," she said.

A study found that when Hurricane Katrina hit the southern U.S. in 2005, some students faced displacement¹² for a very long time. In some cases, it took six months for children to be resettled. This led to a drop in test scores in that first year, said Bruce Sacerdote, an economist¹³ at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. He added, "Not only do they have to move their home, but they're even out of school for some time."

Words in This Story

district – n. an official area that is separated¹⁴ for a particular purpose

tears – v. drops of water that come out of a person's eyes when they cry

1 hurricane   

n.飓风，暴风，暴风雨

参考例句：

• The hurricane destroyed the whole village.飓风把整个村子都毁掉了。
• A hurricane struck the city.飓风袭击了该城市。

2 recovery   

n.恢复，痊愈；追回，寻回，收复

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• The quick recovery was truly in response to medication.这次迅速康复确实是对药物治疗的反应。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 employees   

n.雇工，雇员( employee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She is always polite and considerate towards her employees. 她对待雇员总是客客气气，关心体谅。
• The company has a strict dress code—all male employees are expected to wear suits. 公司有严格的着装规定—所有男职员都要穿西服。

5 long-term   

adj.长远的，长期的

参考例句：

• It isn't a long-term policy.这不是长久之计。
• We must calculate on a long-term basis.我们要作长期打算。

6 assist   

vt.协助，帮助，促进；vi.帮忙，参加

参考例句：

• He asked us to assist him in carrying through their plan.他要我们帮助他实施他们的计划。
• We'll assist at your wedding.我们将出席你们的婚礼。

7 policy   

n.政策，方针，保险单

参考例句：

• This policy is very tough.这个政策是很强硬的。
• The country has always pursued a policy of peace.该国一直奉行和平政策。

8 associated   

adj.联合的

参考例句：

• the risks associated with taking drugs 与吸毒有关的危险
• I don't want to be associated with your scheme; I'm contracting out. 我不想参与你们的计划，我要退出。

9 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

10 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

13 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

14 separated   

adj.分开的v.分开(separate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Her parents are separated but not divorced. 她父母分居但没离婚。
• No child should ever be separated from his mother by force. 绝不能强行使任何一个孩子与母亲分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》