Schools Expected To Open On Time

Update: Supt. Dr. Bernard DiLullo announced on Aug. 30 that school will not start on Aug. 31, as originally scheduled. More on the cancellation at this link: http://patch.com/A-l7MC

With one exception, are expected to open on time this Wednesday, Aug. 31, Supt. Dr. Bernard DiLullo said during a phone interview on Monday afternoon.

DiLullo said that Graniteville School remained without electrical power at about 1:20 p.m. on Aug. 29.

"The preschool program may get delayed, but that decision hasn't been made yet," DiLullo explained. "Everywhere else should be open on time."

David Cournoyer, the district's facilities director, said Graniteville is scheduled to open on Thursday, Sept. 1, "which gives us an extra day to address that."

The town's school buildings survived Hurricane Irene — later downgraded to a tropical storm after it made landfall on Aug. 28 — with no damage or reports of injuries.

"Luckily, the storm took place on a Sunday, so there was no one in the buildings," DiLullo said.

Cournoyer spent Sunday and Monday "making sure the pumps and generators were working at the schools," DiLullo added.

The only other problem was a fallen tree at Brown Avenue School that puled utility wires off the building. By the publication of this article, electrical service had been restored, but the school lacked phone service, DiLullo said.

Local schools are scheduled to open on Aug. 31 at the following times:

• Johnston High School: Open, 7:10 a.m.; Dismissal, 1:28 p.m.
• Ferri Middle School: Open, 7:45 a.m.; Dismissal, 2:03 p.m.
• Elementary Schools: Open, 9:05 a.m.; Dismissal, 3:20 p.m.
• Early Childhood Center: Morning session open, 8:15 a.m.; Dismissal, 11 a.m. Afternoon session open, 11:45 a.m.; Dismissal 2:35 p.m.

Watch JohnstonPatch for further updates.

Update: The quote from David Cournoyer regarding the start date for Graniteville School was added after initial publication of this article.