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Plans Still Uncertain For Guilford County Schools Damaged By April Tornado

Uprooted trees block an entrance at Peeler Open Elementary after a tornado swept through the community. The school was forced to close and relocate students to nearby Bluford Academy. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Students are returning to class in Guilford County next week, many having been relocated after an EF-2 tornado damaged several schools in April.

One of the schools was Peeler Open Elementary. Students were relocated to Bluford STEM Academy, just a few minutes away. Both schools are magnets, and have high percentages of students dealing with poverty.

"We're trying to make sure that every child will have the supplies that they need to get the school year started and parents won't have to buy anything for the first semester,” says Principal Gradesa Lockhart. “We've had a lot of community support and we've been able to expand our food and clothing pantries for families.”

Lockhart says Peeler lost some students from this past school year, but the total population for both of them is less than 600.

She says they're still waiting for information on what will happen next year, and hopes Peeler stays in the community.

“The goal is to maintain the magnet themes at this site, both of them equally, and move forward with increasing them as we get facility decisions made. We're planning marketing for the magnets and parent visits and are waiting for guidance from the district for the 2019-2020 school year,” says Lockhart.

Students at Erwin Montessori and Hampton elementary schools were also relocated after the tornado. The district says it's working with its insurance carrier to determine the total damages. No decisions have been made yet on rebuilding the schools.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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