WILSON COUNTY, NC (WITN) – The Wilson County School District says students and staff can remain at Springfield Middle School for the upcoming school year and beyond, despite the tornado damage it sustained during Tropical Storm Debby’s impact last week.

School officials say Builder Services of NC made this decision.

They say the school’s 6th and 7th grade wings have sustained tremendous damage to the walls and roof, and that classrooms and other rooms in those wings are a total loss. The company is still in the process of quantifying the total damage.

Mobile units are being deployed, including using the 8th grade wing and main area of ​​the school while the two damaged wings are rebuilt.

The school district said, “We believe it is best to keep Springfield Middle School students, staff and families in their school. Rebuilding the wings will be a long process, but we believe this plan is better than switching to remote learning or dispersing students and staff to other schools in the district.”

The school district adds, “We thank everyone who has reached out and asked how they can help. More than a dozen teachers have lost their entire classrooms and other spaces have been impacted as well. If you would like to help restock classrooms with supplies, materials and resources, please consider making a financial donation through the Springfield PTO or Wilson Education Partnership. For more information on ways to donate, visit our district website or social media pages. We will also post information on how to donate actual supplies and materials at a later date once staff has identified their most immediate needs. Thank you again for your support and please keep the students, staff, families and community members affected by the tornado in your thoughts and prayers.”

The first day of school for the students is August 26th.

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