What to know before Oxford students head back to school

Students in Oxford start school on Thursday after devastating floods damaged roads and bridges and delayed the start of the school year.

"Originally we had 12 roads that were completely impassable, six bridges that got washed away," Superintendent Dr. Robert Miller said.

Miller said he worried about what the school year was going to look like. Students were supposed to go back on Wednesday, Aug. 28, but it wasn't safe.

"We were unable to have buses travel the normal routes because the roads were just not drivable," Miller said.

He said the school district is still assessing the roads and isn't completely done yet. That's why an alternative bus route is in place.

"We found nine locations here in the community that are parking areas or areas that we can have parents congregate their cars in and a bus to pull up into," Miller said.

The district is calling them "community stops." They also plan to have a staff member on each bus after school to ensure students get home safely.

But one family has other plans for the first day of school.

"For us, it's going to be quite a drive to get to the community bus stops, so it's just going to be easier for us [to] drive the kids to school," Katy Armstrong said.

Armstrong's two kids are going into sixth and tenth grade, and while they're feeling a little anxious, both say their looking forward to their first day back.

"I'm kind of nervous going to middle school," Toben Armstrong, of Oxford, said. "But I have a completely fine feeling of making friends and all of that."

"I'm feeling pretty confident about starting my sophomore year," Chloe Armstrong said.

Oxford First Selectman George Temple said crews have been working around the clock to fix roads after last month's historic flood. Seven of them are still shut down.

"We have guys in our Public Works putting in 90 hours a week," Temple said.

Students have missed five days of school, which Miller said they'll have to make up in June. But community leaders thought it was going to be even longer before they could return to the classroom.

"We are excited to get kids back in school, but at the same time, it's with a heavy heart that this community has a long road of recovery, and that's where our hearts and our minds are," Miller said.

He urges families to give themselves plenty of time on Thursday as there may be some heavy traffic in the morning.