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Woodland Hills officials detail chaotic multi-day storm response; nutrition staff served more than 2,000 meals
Summary
Board members described a multi-day storm and localized emergencies that disrupted cell service and led to school cancellations. District staff coordinated emergency communications, meal distribution and logistics; nutrition teams served over 2,000 meals during the outage.
District leaders described an extended power outage and storm response that disrupted school operations and community services during the week leading up to the May board meeting.
The superintendent told trustees the district experienced multi-day disruptions in which phone service and normal communications were intermittent. “It was a chaotic time for everybody,” the superintendent said, describing coordination with facilities staff, emergency declarations in Churchill borough, and late-night communications with media and families.
Nut graf: Board members and administrators reviewed immediate operational responses — facilities coordination, transportation, school cancellations, remote instruction choices and community meal service — and flagged areas for an after-action review to improve future response.
District staff credited facilities and food service teams for rapid mobilization. The superintendent said food service staff and volunteers served more than 2,000 grab-and-go meals in Braddock and at two additional distribution locations after power outages left many families without power for days. The superintendent singled out Kylene McClain and Michelle Rouse and the nutrition group for their “nonstop” work and rapid organization.
Officials discussed communications challenges during the event. The superintendent said staff used phone calls, text messaging and social media to reach families and that the district sometimes had to call until 10:30 p.m. to coordinate services. Trustees discussed bringing back traditional phone-tree systems as one contingency if cellular networks fail.
The board also discussed academic impact and makeup days. The superintendent explained the district has asked the state for a waiver for missed days but that the state declined and told the district to monitor instructional minutes. As of the meeting, high school and middle school schedules were close to the state-required instructional minutes; additional unplanned closures could require make-up days or other state-directed remedies.
Ending: Trustees said they plan to conduct an after-action review and consider strengthening contingency communication plans and local distribution protocols before next storm season.
