All six Bullhead City School District campuses are scheduled to reopen Wednesday morning (September 7). Power was fully restored to the final school on Tuesday. Most schools and the District office had power by Monday afternoon. Power to Fox Creek Junior High, near the Bullhead Parkway and Adobe Road, came back on Tuesday afternoon. Power poles, power lines and major transmission lines were severely damaged throughout the area,
including adjacent to or near three of the six schools. School buses will run as scheduled. However, some routes may have unexpected detours
or delays while line crews work in targeted areas. The District cautioned parents and students to be patient if buses are running late in either the morning or afternoon.
“We can’t thank enough everyone who has been involved in this monumental effort,” said BCSD Superintendent Carolyn Stewart. “Mohave Electric Cooperative crews have worked tirelessly since Sunday night to restore power to Bullhead City and our surrounding communities. City employees and volunteers staffed the emergency shelter and cooling station at Sunrise Elementary School, and then stayed to help clean it so it’s ready for school. [Food service vendor] Chartwells employees thoroughly cleaned campus kitchens and restocked many perishable items.
[Facilities vendor] ABM removed downed trees and limbs. And school principals walked their campuses – often without power and in darkened buildings – on Labor Day and Tuesday, assessing damage and starting cleanup.”
BCSD will announce a makeup day for students and staff. It is expected to be on a future Friday. No date has been selected, but as much advance notice as possible will be provided. The emergency shelter at Sunrise Elementary was a joint effort between The City and BCSD. The two share an emergency backup generator at Sunrise. The City received a post-9/11 federal security grant for the generator, which the City then placed at Sunrise because of its space and proximity to the Bullhead Parkway, Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport and three major state highways (AZ-95, AZ-68 and NV-163).