SAIPAN — The CNMI Public School System Board of Education met in a special session Friday to assess storm damage across the district and chart a path to reopening, with school leadership indicating a target window around May 11 to resume classes while stopping short of setting a firm date.
Of the district’s 20 public schools, two have been deemed total losses and will not be used for classes; Koblerville Elementary School and Da’ok Academy. Eight schools sustained major damages. The remaining campuses all require what officials described as emergency repairs. Only two schools currently have electricity, both on Rota, and 11 of 20 schools have running water. Across the district’s 10 Head Start centers, four have water, one has electricity, and two sustained major damage.
PSS Commissioner Lawrence Camacho, who presented a damage assessment to the board, said intensive damage assessments have been completed to standard at most campuses and the district is ready to submit FEMA Public Assistance applications through the federal portal. A FEMA representative, identified as Nick Child, arrived on island two days ago with a focus specifically on supporting the education sector’s recovery. A second FEMA team is expected to follow to address longer-term permanent repairs in categories C through E.
Three courses of action were presented to principals and the board: ending the school year now, extending the calendar into summer to make up instructional days, or working toward resumption before the current June 10 end date. The commissioner’s first option of ending the year early was set aside, and that extending into summer was not being recommended at this time. The goal is to return students to campus before June 10, with graduations and promotions still planned on schedule.
“We haven’t announced any date on the calendar, not going to do that yet,” the commissioner said, adding that mid-May remains the working target if campuses are cleared, shelterees are transitioned to long-term housing and safety concerns are addressed.
Shelters remain active at several PSS campuses, including Marianas High School cafeterias and Garapan Elementary School. Officials said no shelterees will be displaced without a transition plan in place, with DCCA responsible for moving residents to Tier 2 long-term sheltering. The Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium is being evaluated as a long-term shelter with a capacity of approximately 200 to help relieve shelter pressure from school campuses.
Board members and staff raised concerns about mold remediation, dangling tin roof panels at campuses including Southern High School, staff well-being, mental health supports for students and teachers, and consistency of cleanup across all islands. A board member representing Rota indicated the primary concern on that island is mold. Officials confirmed all SPED contractors remain in place and special education services will resume at the same level as before the storm when schools reopen.
The student board representative voiced support for reopening as soon as possible, citing a report that the Department of Youth Services had recently added nine youth to its program. “I think school is the only option for them to be free,” the student rep said.
Most private schools have reopened or plan to reopen Monday, May 4, according to a board member who represents private school interests. Grace Christian, Golden Harvest International School and Mount Carmel School are among the last to reopen, also targeting May 4. Some private schools are operating on half-day schedules.
PSS also confirmed that grab-and-go meal distribution for students will begin Monday, May 4, at school sites across Saipan, Tinian and Rota from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. WIC remote phone services are also now available Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The commissioner closed the meeting with an extended tribute to PSS staff who managed emergency shelters since the storm, describing scenarios including managing domestic violence incidents in shelters, ensuring oxygen-dependent residents had generator power and coordinating water delivery in the middle of the night. “These guys were exposed to things that they were not trained on to do, but they still did, because that was a human thing to do,” he said.
The board tentatively plans to meet again around May 8 or 11 to receive an updated report before a decision on school reopening is made.