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TEA RULING: DISASTERS & SCHOOL CLOSINGS; ENROLLMENT QUESTIONS ANSWERED

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/comm/page1.html
Sept. 30, 2005

AUSTIN ­ Almost one week after Hurricane Rita struck the Texas coast, dozens of school districts in East and Southeast Texas remain closed. Loss of electricity, along with wind damage, are the primary reasons the schools remain shuttered.

To help local school officials communicate with their citizens, the Texas Education Agency has created a school closings and openings webpage available at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/hcane/schclose.html. The page is updated throughout the day as new information is received.

Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley has asked school district officials to notify TEA by Monday about their anticipated school re-opening date. "We know citizens are anxiously hoping for a return to normalcy in their lives. Local school officials are working around the clock to ready their schools but, in many cases, they cannot reopen until basic services are restored. Hundreds of utility company employees are working long hours to restore electricity, water and sewer services to our communities. We will reopen schools as soon as it is safe. We encourage parents to visit our school closings website and listen to their local media for the most current information."

Neeley notified school officials through a letter Thursday that she will waive up to 10 school days for school districts impacted by Hurricane Rita or the sheltering of evacuees. If a school remains closed for more than two weeks, the school days above 10 days must be made up. The Sept. 29 letter, called enrollment and services for students in hurricane disaster areas, detailing the waiver and make-up day policy is available at: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/taa/sortf.cgi?command=bydate.

Local school officials will decide how to adjust the calendars in their districts to make up this lost instructional time. Options include extending the school day, shortening holiday breaks, and holding school on Saturday.

Normally, Texas students are in class 180 days per year. With some districts predicting that they will be closed a month or more, parents are asking if they should enroll their children in another, functioning district. The answer depends on each family's individual situation.

If a family has lost its home or otherwise can not use their home due to the hurricane, the children are homeless under the federal McKinney-Vento Act and can immediately enroll elsewhere.

However, parents may wish to wait until the circumstances of their local school district and their housing become better known before making this decision.

If a child enrolls in another district and then returns to their home district when it reopens, the child will follow the calendar of their home district and may ultimately go to school longer than 180 days. This is no different than a child who moves from one district to another during a normal family move.

"We encourage parents and educators to regularly visit our website for updates related to the impact of the hurricanes. I have been so proud of our Texas educators as they have dealt with Hurricane Rita and evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. They have been true Texas heroes who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. This agency will do everything it can to help them get their school districts reopened," Neeley said.