By Amelia Hornung
Hurricane Helene left many lasting impacts on communities in our country, but one major aspect it affected was education. Sixty schools in the state of Florida were shut down because of the hurricane. Eleven school districts in North Carolina were closed for two weeks, and three others are currently closed until further notice. The time that students are not at school can throw off their routines and take away from the time that they should be in the classroom.
For many students, school is a safe place where they can escape and focus on learning. Not attending school can increase students’ chances of mental health problems. A study showed that 50% of kids who experience a disaster show post-traumatic stress symptoms; negatively influencing their ability to return to a learning environment. Cassandra R. Davis studied the educational impact of students who faced Hurricane Matthew and Florence, and found that students suffered from lasting trauma often fell behind academically. Some parents are also struggling because without a form of childcare, they are unable to return to work.