MEMPHIS, Tenn — Students in the Wynne School District are returning to in-person classes this week after storms destroyed buildings and devastated their town March 31, 2023.
Grades kindergarten through 8th in the Wynne School District returned to their respective buildings Wednesday, April 12. District leaders said the school buildings "have been checked by experienced structural engineers and have been deemed safe and ready for use."
Students Wednesday were joined by a special guest - Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who greeted students as they returned to class. Sanders will sign legislation later Wednesday in Little Rock and deliver brief remarks at a benefit concert, “To Little Rock, With Love,” for those impacted by the tornadoes.
Wynne High School students will report to EACC Tech Center in Wynne, located across from the Sonic, for their return to in-person learning.
Student and parent informational meetings for grades 9 through 12 are being held on Wednesday, April 12, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the ballroom at the EACC Tech Center.
Grades 11 and 12 will report on Thursday, April 13, and grades 9 and 10 will report Friday, April 14, to receive further information related to learning for the remainder of the year.
School leaders said those report days will be full school days from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. They said, “The district has taken all necessary steps to ensure that the return to in-person learning is as safe as possible for students and staff.”
School administrators said students who need help returning to school should reach out to their respective advisors or building counselors.
School leaders also said virtual students may begin working immediately. If a virtual student does not have electricity or internet services, they should contact their Virtual Facilitator to help them come up with a plan to return to learning.
School leaders also announced all students in the Wynne Public School District will be allowed to eat breakfast and lunch at school at no charge for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year, regardless of their current meal status.
Wynne Schools also resumed its spring sports seasons this week.
“We recognize there are more important things going on right now in our community, but we hope that allowing our kids a chance to play will give them an outlet for some of the trauma they’ve experienced,” said the school district in a post to social media.