Disaster and Emergency Response

This September 2017 presentation from the U.S. Department of Education, titled “Helping Families and Schools Recover in the Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey,” has important information about how school districts can better help students affected by Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters, including information about supports for students made homeless by a natural disaster and specific steps school districts can take to help students, families, and schools recover.

These printable handbooks relay disaster-related school information to parents, relief agencies, and school districts.

NYS-TEACHS

Our Quick Tip Sheets provide detailed information about the rights of students experiencing homelessness in a one-page format. Each guide is targeted to a specific school role.

These flyers can be distributed following a natural disaster to help families and youth understand their educational rights. They include space to add local contact information. You may find flyers for New York State or New York City.

New York State Education Department

This memo provides information about transportation of students post-Superstorm Sandy, including students attending nonpublic schools. However, please note that transportation protections, privacy protections, and access to pre-school programs, for example, have been exanded under state and federal law since the memo was published.

NYSED Field Memo

NYSED’s McKinney-Vento Field Memo #04-2012 (November 2012) describes how and when McKinney-Vento protections apply to students displaced by a disaster.

New York State Education Department

NYSED and the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) have agreed to allow students who were displaced by Hurricane Irma or Maria and subsequently enrolled in a high school in New York State to be offered the opportunity to complete either the New York State diploma requirements or the requirements to earn a diploma from Puerto Rico. This applies to students who had attained 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in Puerto Rico by October 2017. This field memo provides information on the PRDE graduation requirements, the process to request a Puerto Rico high school diploma, and how to code students in SIRS. For more information, contact the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages at (518) 474-8775.

New York State Education Department

This memo provides information and resources for local educational agencies (LEAs), including school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, regarding the rights of and services available to students displaced by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017.

New York State Education Department

This memo, last updated in November 2012, answers a number of questions regarding the education of students after a severe weather event.

New York State Education Department

This memo provides information about applying for additional funding from two disaster relief programs: Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students and Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth. These programs were announced in early May by the United States Department of Education to support schools that have enrolled students displaced by recent natural disasters. Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), including school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, will be required to complete a survey on the SEDMonitoring platform by June 15, 2018, even if no displaced students have been enrolled.

New York State Education Department

This November 2012 advisory was issued in response to inquiries about waivers/flexibility for special education requirements in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The advisory also reviews requirements of LEAs under the McKinney-Vento Act to provide comparable services to enrolling students in temporary housing.

SchoolHouse Connection published this brief detailing the five key policies and quick tips for implementation to better support children and youth displaced by disasters. Schools can be a place of stability, normalcy, and support for children and youth who are displaced by disasters. Liaisons also may be able to connect younger siblings with early childhood resources to provide safety, stability and a place to be a child as parents seek to rebuild.

This toolbox, from the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), contains a wealth of information, lessons learned, and resources developed during the recovery process following the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s website has a large array or information and resources for parents and teachers including: What you should know about hurricanes and how they impact children and the Teacher Guidelines for Helping Students after a Hurricane

Students in Temporary Housing are categorically eligible for free meals.

New York State Education Department

List of resources for hurricane and other storm damage recovery.

This page provides a number of resources for working with students who have been affected by natural disaster.

Supportive housing providers across New York serve tenants in damaged and flooded residences. Below, you’ll find information on how you can make cash donations or donate other goods. You’ll also find details on how you can volunteer or receive assistance from various government agencies.

FEMA: If you or your loved ones have been affected by hurricane and are in need of assistance, you can register with FEMA for aid. To do so, call (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585 or register online at www.disasterassistance.gov.
Shelter: The Red Cross provides shelter throughout affected areas. Visit their website for a listing www.redcross.org/find-help/shelter or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Additional information about hurricane victim aid and ways everyone can help in the relief effort can be found at: www.fema.gov/new-york-sandy-recovery.