What public school systems are providing for their communities in the western part of the state affected most by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is far beyond what any job description or original intention ever defined.

The fact that many schools are not “in session” does not mean these people are not working, and in many cases, it is the local public school (and public university) providing the frontline assistance of food, shelter, and donations for victims no matter their social standing.

To think that educators and administrators would have to give up annual leave time or worry that their paycheck will be altered because classes are not meeting for circumstances beyond their control is ludicrous. Before the hurricane, these people were already having to face circumstances beyond their control.

When the North Carolina General Assembly meets this week for the prearranged action of expanding vouchers to all people in a state that has underfunded public education for years, it should sustain Gov. Cooper’s veto and take measures to hold the schools and teachers “harmless” who are affected by Helene.

Teachers and school personnel should still be paid.

Teachers and school personnel should not have any of their annual leave be taken from them.

Schools should be able to negotiate their calendar for the rest of the school year.

Schools should not be graded by with a school performance grade based on the current model because what they are doing now for their communities can never be measured by the state’s narrow-minded view of school success.

No child should ever have to pay for a meal in those schools for the rest of the year – breakfast and lunch.

And schools should be held harmless in their attendance / student population numbers so that funding for those schools is not affected by people who sought shelter in other parts of the state while rebuilding their lives.