School Community Closed by Dorian Gets iPad Shipment

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 10/02/19

A school shuttered by Hurricane Dorian in early September is receiving a shipment of Apple iPads to be used by students and teachers. Hyde County Public School's island-based Ocracoke School was displaced by the hurricane and has been closed ever since. Damage included flooding of every building on campus, with severe destruction to floors and walls. Also, staff and students faced significant flooding in their own homes and businesses and substantial vehicle loss.

In the intervening weeks, secondary students were able to attend classes at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, about a mile from the school. That's expected to continue until January 2020. Other buildings on the island will also be used for students during the recovery period.

The iPad shipment — 200 devices supplied by the State Board of Education —  are intended to help students "stay on schedule with their schoolwork until they can return to their school building," according to a statement from State Superintendent Mark Johnson's office.

"After the serious damage to Ocracoke School, it is important that the students miss as little instructional time as possible and get back to some sense of normalcy as quickly as possible," Johnson said. "By making these devices available and partnering with NCCAT and Hyde County Schools, we can help ensure that students stay on schedule until they can return to their regular classrooms."

Ocracoke School is a pre-K-12 school with about 185 students.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop screen displaying a typed essay, on a child

    McGraw Hill Acquires Essaypop Digital Learning Tool

    Education company McGraw Hill has announced the acquisition of Essaypop, a cloud-based writing tool that will enhance the former's portfolio of personalized learning capabilities.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • A child surrounded by glowing, fluid virtual patterns and holographic shapes, illuminated in a dark gradient environment of blue, purple, and pink.

    ClassVR Gets Expanded VR/AR Content Library

    Avantis Education has announced a new content library for its ClassVR virtual and augmented reality platform. Dubbed Eduverse+, the library features four content suites — EduverseAI, WildWorld, STEAM3D, and CareerHub — that can be tailored to suit a variety of educational levels.