Parents asked for patience as classes resume in Breathitt Co. after flooding delay

BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Monday is a big day for students in flood-damaged Breathitt County.

Students headed back to class after the district had to push back the start date two weeks because of the deadly flooding.

At Breathitt County High School, classes started at 7:55 Monday morning. Once the bell rang, teachers went over school policies and what students can expect to learn this year.

Some parents says she’s happy their children are getting back to some normalcy.

“At first I was nervous about it, but I think it’s good for them to get back to having some normalcy in their life,” said Heather Sizemore, parent.

However, other parents say it’s still too soon.

“We’re having to travel from Slate exit 33 to bring our kids to school today, and we’re going to have to do that every day this week,” said Josh Combs, parent.

“There’s a lot of kids also that are living in tents right now,” said Wilma Combs. “They don’t have access to showers.”

Some students are glad to be back, like Michael Stanford, a senior who’s ready to graduate.

“Just hoping to get out of here,” Stanford said.

School officials adjusted bus routes to pick up students displaced by the flooding. Students in the vocational school are taking classes at the nearby community college since high water destroyed their building.

Overall, Principal Charles Davidson says it’s been a good day so far. He’s looking forward to a good school year.

“You know, on the first day, we want to be able to build those relationships with our kids, knowing that there’s probably some social-emotional needs that need to be met, because if those needs are not met we are not going to be able to educate our kids,” Davidson said.

The principal is asking parents to be patient. He says there will be changes coming as different needs arise.

Classes now start at 7:55 a.m. and end at 3:09 in the afternoon. The district added 12 minutes to each school day to make up class time required by the state.