The return of classes in Valencia: “It has been like the reopening after Covid”
Forty-seven educational centers in Valencia, out of the 92 that remained closed due to the effects of the storm, have reopened this Monday. According to Carlos Justo, the director of the public school Sant Joan Baptista in Torrent, the feeling has been like a mix between the first day after reopening from Covid and starting a new school year after a long break like Easter. Justo mentioned that many students, especially from first and second grade, were happily embracing each other.
For many children and their families, this reopening has been a huge relief. Mae Rubio, a 40-year-old home care assistant and mother of a 10-year-old boy who has returned to Sant Joan Baptista, mentioned that this return has been very beneficial for her son, who is hyperactive. She described the days without being able to go out as chaotic for him.
However, the reopening message of the schools is deceptive in the hardest-hit areas of the storm. The schools that reopened on Monday are not located in the most affected areas, but rather in municipalities that were less impacted by the storm. In the most damaged towns, there are still 50 schools yet to reopen, with more than 12,000 children studying there. Some students have been relocated to other schools, while others remain without schooling. The government is working to reopen some of these schools in the coming weeks and relocate the remaining students to other schools.
The largest family federation, Fampa Valencia, criticized the lack of coordination by the Valencian government, as a circular was sent out late on Sunday updating which schools could reopen and which could not. One of the girls who remains without schooling is named Abigail, a 3-year-old who was excited to see her teacher from the public school Ausiàs March de Massanassa, who was cleaning mud in work clothes on the street. Abigail’s mother, Andrea Gradolí, expressed concern about her daughter’s well-being due to the lack of interaction with other children.
Gradolí hopes that the government provides an alternative before the 15th, as she needs to return to work at her car trading company. Their school is completely destroyed and no one is currently working inside. Gradolí mentioned that there have been discussions about transferring the students to a nearby town by bus. She emphasized the importance of her job reopening on the 18th, as the local community needs access to buying cars. Gradolí expressed these concerns before saying goodbye in front of her home.
