Robeson County schools

Despite Parent Pleas, Hurricane-Damaged School To Close For Good

By • Jun 13, 2018
A sign in front of West Lumberton Elementary, the only Robeson County school that remains closed a year after Hurricane Matthew. The storm dumped about three feet of standing water into the building, and destroyed many of its students' homes.
Lisa Philip / WUNC

A Robeson County elementary school damaged by Hurricane Matthew will close for good. The decision came after a group of parents pleaded to keep it open.

Some Robeson County Parents Want To Ban Paddling In Schools

By • Apr 11, 2018
The paddle Robbinsville High School principal David Matheson, and previous principals, have used to discipline students.
Jess Clark / WUNC

An attempt to ban corporal punishment in Robeson County schools has stalled. The effort was led by parents and child advocates.

Robeson County Schools Votes To Turn Over Elementary To Innovative School District

By • Jan 10, 2018
File photo of Southside-Ashpole Elementary in Robeson County.
Liz Schlemmer / WUNC

The State of North Carolina is embarking on an educational experiment to open a new school district aimed at improving struggling schools. On Tuesday, the Robeson County Board of Education voted to transfer control of one of its elementary schools as the first in the new district next year.

A Year Later, Lumberton Students Still Coping With Matthew's Destruction

By • Oct 4, 2017
A sign in front of West Lumberton Elementary, the only Robeson County school that remains closed a year after Hurricane Matthew. The storm dumped about three feet of standing water into the building, and destroyed many of its students' homes.
Lisa Philip / WUNC

Robeson County second grader Niveah Barnes remembers one detail in particular about Hurricane Matthew.

"I wanted to talk about dinosaurs when I was in first grade, but we couldn't do that, because the flood was in the middle of the school," she said.

The Aftermath Of Hurricane Matthew

By & • Oct 20, 2016
Princeville, Hurricane Matthew, Flooding
Leoneda Inge / WUNC

The town of Princeville, North Carolina was established by freed slaves after the Civil War, and it is the oldest town incorporated by African-Americans in the United States. Hurricane Matthew put the town underwater, but leaders there are vowing to rebuild and reclaim the historical place. Members of the National Guard are pumping millions of gallons of water back into the Tar River while residents wait to see if anything is salvageable.