Dear Franklin families, 

Some of you are enjoying this beautiful fall day with power, water, and connectivity. Some of our community members remain stranded and cut off, with no power, water or connection to the outside world. Many community members have evacuated and are waiting for water and power to be restored before returning. We’ve all had different experiences through this but we share the trauma of devastating loss. Holding space and patience with one another are hard and essential. 

We continue to reach out to students and families. I celebrate each message telling me “all crewbies and families are safe and accounted for!” We’re not at 100% yet and this will be a primary focus tomorrow. 

We are also meeting tomorrow with faculty and staff who are able to return to work in some capacity. We are creating work groups to take on different aspects of recovery work. In my conversations with school leaders who led through Katrina I have come to understand that recovery will be a long and complex process. This will not be as easy as turning the water back on and just moving ahead. 

Our school – like nearly every school in the region – is dependent on Asheville City water. The City has not issued a timeline for restoring water. So for those of you wanting me to be more clear on when we will return, I cannot give you an answer. We don’t have the answers from the City and the State that would allow me to tell you. We are looking at all possible options for water. Every option requires the support and approval of government agencies. We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

The General Assembly will meet this week to consider disaster relief for our region. The Department of Instruction has asked the Assembly forthe following: 

• Calendar flexibility for schools (meaning that schools will not have to make up all missed days); 
• Remote instruction flexibility allowing us to hold more remote days; 
• “Hold harmless” employment consideration for public school employees, allowing them to be paid while schools remain closed. 
• $150 million in disaster relief funding for facilities, nutrition programs (this will only be provided to schools in the Federal nutrition program – our application is in process but not yet approved), and technology loss. It does not appear that any of this funding would be available to our school. 

Until the Assembly meets and votes, we do not have authority to transition to remote learning. We also understand that remote learning will be exceptionally challenging when many of us (myself included) have to leave our homes for connectivity. It’s not very efficient to work in a parking lot using your cellphone as a hotspot – I know! Even though we have wifi at school the lack of running water means it is not a functional space for long-term work. 

A few of you have asked why we don’t just get porta-potties and get on with it. Trust me – we would love to. It is not a solution for re-opening but a few would be tremendously helpful as we use the building to serve the community and to provide a space for staff to work. They are very hard to find right now. Even if we can secure them, porta-potties don’t put water through the sprinklers in the building. They are likely not a full solution. 

Our focus this week will be to continue to meet the basic needs of our community. We will be open from 1 – 3 daily to provide power, WiFi, and supplies.  We will update you as we meet with our team and plan additional social, academic, and service opportunities. We will continue reaching out to our families and staff who are experiencing devastating loss. Our counselors will provide referrals for counseling services for those who need them. And we’ll keep you updated as we learn more. 

If you need help with a FEMA application – Pisgah Legal is offering a free FEMA Assistance Clinic tomorrow, Monday from 10 am – 4 pm at 62 Charlotte Street in Asheville and 440 South Church Street in Hendersonville.

We appreciate you and are holding you in our hearts. And we’re grateful to know that you are holding us and our community in yours. 

With appreciation,

Michelle