Frequently Asked Questions about Harvey

  • When will Spring ISD schools reopen?

    Posted by:

    Schools will reopen to students on Monday, Sept. 11 to allow families more time to deal with ongoing issues related to the storm.

    Comments (-1)
  • What have you done to prepare for reopening schools?

    Posted by:

    Our maintenance team is visiting every campus, and thankfully, there is no major damage to any of our schools or facilities. Our transportation team has traveled the district and has determined that most bus routes are passable and buses will make every effort to safely access regular bus stop locations.

    Comments (-1)
  • If a student is unable to attend school because of impacts from storm, will the absences be excused?

    Posted by:

    Yes, absences due to Harvey-related issues will be excused. Please notify your campus as soon as possible and submit a written note detailing the reason for the absence.

    Comments (-1)
  • Can children staying with us as a result of Harvey be enrolled in our neighborhood school?

    Posted by:

    Yes, students displaced by the hurricane are considered homeless and will receive immediate enrollment even without the normally required paperwork (including immunizations).  Please contact have them contact your neighborhood school directly to enroll.

    Comments (-1)
  • Are there any community outreach programs to assist families affected by the storm?

    Posted by:

    Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance online, at www.DisasterAssistance.gov. If you are unable to access the internet, you can also call 1-800-621-3362. You may also install the FEMA App, available for Apple, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices

    When you register for disaster assistance either online or by phone, you will need the following to complete your application:

    Social Security number
    Address of the location where the damage occurred (pre-disaster address)
    Current mailing address
    Current telephone number
    Insurance information
    Total household annual income
    Routing and account number for your checking or savings account (this allows FEMA to directly transfer disaster assistance funds into your bank account).
    A description of your disaster-caused damage and losses

    Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

    More information can be found at: https://www.fema.gov/individual-disaster-assistance.

    Comments (-1)
  • Can our children remain in their home school if our family has been displaced by Hurricane Harvey?

    Posted by:

    Yes. We will make every effort to assure that your child remains at his/her home campus regardless of your living situation, including providing transportation.  Please notify your home campus of your current address and update your contact information including phone number.

    Comments (-1)
  • We are temporarily living outside of Spring ISD. Is my child eligible to return to school in Spring?

    Posted by:

    Yes. We will make every effort to assure that your child remains at his/her home campus regardless of your living situation, including providing transportation.

    Comments (-1)
  • We are relocating to another district. How can I transfer my child’s records?

    Posted by:

    Please request records by clicking here. Additionally, once you enroll at your child’s new school they will contact us directly to request all school records.

    Comments (-1)
  • What resources are available to help us talk with our children?

    Posted by:

    The American School Counselor Association has some great ideas for talking with children about hurricanes and flooding. Check these resources out at their website

    In addition, here are some additional resources:

    Helping Children after Natural Disasters:  Colorín Colorado is a bilingual site for educators and families of English Language Learners based in Washington, D.C. that has specific, updated resources posted to offer guidance to families and schools related to natural disasters and some posted specific to Hurricane Harvey listed under Featured Resources. You are welcome to print copies of their materials for personal use or educational purposes as long as credit is given to Colorín Colorado and the author(s). Permission to publish materials must be granted by the copyright holder.  Because they get their articles from a variety of sources, please check the bottom of each article for special reprint permissions or additional restrictions from the publisher.

    Link:  http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/helping-children-after-natural-disaster

    Coping with National Disasters:  This website features free lesson sharing funded by the American Federation of Teachers. Built by educators across the country, it brings together a community of teachers, paraprofessionals, school related personnel, parents, and partners to provide resources.  The devastation and loss of life from events such as hurricanes or a tornado can be emotionally damaging to children. These resources will help you and your students understand and cope with natural disasters. The lesson plans are grouped by topic, subject and grade level and include resources from a variety of agencies.

    Note:  You must sign-up for a free membership to access these lesson plans.  They are NOT screened and are contributed by authors under creative commons from across the United States.

    Link:  https://sharemylesson.com/collections/coping-natural-disasters

     

    Helping Kids Cope with National Disasters:  This is a website from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) based out of Virginia.  They provide resources for educators about all subjects connected to the environment; they have a section focusing on how to help kids cope with national disasters.

    Link: http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Hurricane-Sandy/Helping-Kids-Cope.aspx

    Comments (-1)
  • Our family has lost everything and may need to apply for Free/Reduced Meals. How do we do that?

    Posted by:

    Please visit https://www.schoolcafe.com/

    Comments (-1)
  • Can Spring ISD apply for same grant that is allowing HISD to provide three free meals to students?

    Posted by:

    We are currently exploring all options for our students.

    Comments (-1)
  • Can I donate to help Spring ISD families and staff impacted by the storm?

    Posted by:

    Yes. The Spring ISD Education Foundation has established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and is accepting monetary donations that will be used to support Spring families and employees as they work to recover from the aftermath of the storm.

    Donations to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund are 100 percent tax-deductible. Please consider making a contribution by clicking here and using the button "Hurricane Harvey Donation".  All of the donations will be distributed via small grants to Spring ISD students, families and staff impacted by Harvey.

    Comments (-1)
  • Will we have to make up the days missed?

    Posted by:

    The district will not have to make up instructional days lost to the storm. We will change one student holiday/staff development day on April 9, 2018 to a regular school day. Falling right before State testing, we want an extra day of face time with our students.  Making this minor change will also give us a one-day cushion should we have any additional inclement weather days this school year.  Please review the revised online calendar.

    Comments (-1)