MATEWAN -- After nearly a month, students in the Matewan and Burch school areas of Mingo County will be headed back to class on Monday.

Matewan High School Assistant Principal Lisa Sammons made the announcement at MHS's graduation ceremony Friday evening that Matewan High students would return to school on Monday.

Burch High School students will also return on Monday.

Mingo County Schools Superintendent Dwight Dials said in a recent interview that he doesn't expect Gilbert-area schools to reopen before the end of the school yea due to the heavy damage both Gilbert Elementary and Gilbert High School suffered. In press release issued Saturday, May 30, the Mingo County Board of Education stated that Gilbert students will not be back in school on Monday.

Williamson-area schools and Tug Valley-area schools have been in session since just after the flooding. Those communities did not suffer severe flooding.

Students at Gilbert Elementary, Gilbert High, Matewan High, Matewan Middle School, Matewan Elementary, Burch Middle School and Burch High School have not been in school since the May 9 flash flooding that devastated several Mingo County communities, including North Matewan, Rutherford Hollow, Delbarton, Rameytown, Belo, Varney, Pie, Musick, Gilbert, Browning Fork, Ben Creek, Beech Creek and Baisden, along with several others throughout southern Mingo County.

School officially ends on June 6, leaving only the last week for students to attend.

Matewan High's building was not affected by the flooding. However, Gilbert Elementary and Gilbert High School both suffered extensive damage. Water also rose around Burch High School, but it did not get inside the facility.

As of Friday, at least two families who were left homeless by flooding were still living in Burch High School. The West Virginia National Guard, while on flood cleanup duty, had been living in Burch's gymnasium, but left Tuesday.