Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

October 12, 2005

Local Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

   Gwinnett County became a shelter for 1,338 students whose families were caught up in the ravages of Hurricane Katrina throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Students and families from Hurricane Rita also evacuated to Gwinnett County.

   Enrollment projections for 2005-06 were 144,000, but with the influx of students from these natural disasters enrollment exceeded projections to 145,000 students in Gwinnett County Public Schools.

   Education officials in the Hurricane Katrina wake are assessing the timing of school re-openings in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Even if schools re-open, families affected by the Hurricane may not be able to return to their previous homes, depending on the damage resulting from the floods and storms.

   When it became clear in early September that Gwinnett County Public Schools would become the temporary or the permanent home to students affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, the school system’s principals, counselors, and social workers led efforts to work with local schools to enroll students from displaced families in classes.

   Local schools began heroic efforts to welcome the displaced students and families, including dinners, breakfasts, receptions, and other community events. Students in elementary, middle, and high school organized fund raisers, collected food and clothes, held car washes, and worked to provide a new home for displaced students and their families.

   Under the leadership of Kelly Herndon, director of Recruitment, Gwinnett County Public Schools held a Job Fair for adults displaced by the Hurricanes. Several teachers and support staff from among the displaced adults have been hired to work in Gwinnett County Public Schools.

   Social workers from Gwinnett County Public Schools participated as one of the organizations at the Red Cross Mega Center in Lawrenceville, a one-stop aid location for evacuees. They worked during week days and week-ends at the Center, answering questions and offering support to families and their children. 
Under the leadership of Stave Bennett, coordinator of Health Services and School Social Workers for GCPS, social workers from the school system took supplies directly to displaced families living at local extended-stay motels in Gwinnett County. Up to 100 families relocated to two extended-stay motels in Norcross.

   Dr. Carrie Booher, director of Student Academic Support and Advisement for GCPS, and local school counselors worked to ensure that displaced students return to a regular school-day routine. The counselors will work with the students from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita through the school year to adjust to their new schools and to focus on their academic assignments. 

   For students from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, the Gwinnett County Public School curriculum provides challenges. Principals, teachers, counselors, and social workers will work throughout the year to remove any barriers to learning for the displaced students. 

   The Georgia Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education have been close collaborators with the Gwinnett County Public Schools in responding to the educational needs of displaced students from these two natural disasters. 

   Work will continue throughout 2005-06 to answer questions about state and federal funding for displaced students who relocated to Gwinnett County Public Schools. Questions include determining graduation requirements; aligning required classes for elementary, middle, and high school students from state to state; and reimbursing host schools in Gwinnett County for costs associated with education students from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

   Huricane Rita had an impact on Gwinnett County’s 145,000 students when the school system complied with Governor Sonny Perdue’s request to close school for two days in anticipation of storm damage to refineries off the Texas and Gulf Coast shore. The two-day shutdown of public schools statewide saved an expected 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel and an additional amount of gas that would have been used to transport teachers and support staff.

   The school system has scheduled make-up days for the September 26 and 27 Hurricane Rita-related days off. Make up days will be February 20 and March 13, 2006. 

   District III schools provided outstanding leadership in welcoming families and students from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. 

   As the District III School Board member, I have been deeply touched and inspired by observing the welcome and assistance that principals, teachers, counselors, social workers, cafeteria workers, and students have provided to the displaced students and their families who came to schools in Norcross, Duluth, Berkeley Lake, and Peachtree Corners.

   Great thanks to our local school leaders for welcoming these new families to our community and providing them the support they need to start new chapters of their lives in Gwinnett County.

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