The Department of Education has released a booklet offering guidance and assistance to school officials, parents, and others helping students affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“Tips for Helping Students Recovering from Traumatic Events” is available from the U.S. Department of Education‘s hurricane help for schools resource.
The booklet offers tips for helping students who are recovering from the effects of the hurricanes, and provides online resources for information on finding friends and on health and safety.
The booklet also offers a way to help link schools with contributors. Schools that are enrolling students displaced by the hurricanes can fill out a form online with a wish list of the items they need. Organizations that are willing to provide help can also fill out a form giving the list of items they can contribute.
“We are developing partnerships with the community at large to help deal with this tragedy,” Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said in unveiling the booklet on Oct. 12. That day, she held the first of six roundtable meetings with mental-health experts designed to gather information on students displaced by the hurricanes and the schools they are now attending.