Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Help for Schools Fact Sheet

President Bush today announced another resource in the nation's continuing efforts to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina—Hurricane Help for Schools, a new Web page aimed at getting additional supplies to schools serving students displaced by the hurricane.

"A lot of school districts are taking in these children who have had to leave their homes and their local districts. And we want to thank the schools and the school districts and the teachers and the PTAs for reaching out and doing their duty," President Bush said. "[The Dept. of Education] will set up a Web page... that will enable people from around the country to be able to access the Department of Education Web page to determine how they can help these school districts that are bringing in the new students."

Hurricane Help for Schools can be accessed through the Department of Education's Web site—www.ed.gov/katrina—and will serve as a clearinghouse of resources for Americans who want to help the students displaced by the hurricane. Each week, the Department's Web site logs millions of page views.

"Across the country, we are seeing families, communities and schools open their hearts and doors to children displaced by Hurricane Katrina," Secretary Spellings said. "We are committed to doing everything we can to help as local communities enroll these children in new schools. We must try to restore some sense of structure and normalcy to their lives as quickly as possible. And that includes helping schools accommodate these new students, who will need books, clothes and other supplies."

The Web page is a forum where schools, companies and organizations across the country can come together and work to help students displaced by the hurricane. Companies and organizations can respond to the needs of students and send resources directly to them, and schools will be able to directly contact the companies and organizations offering help.

On one part of the Web page, schools will be able to post their contact information and the supplies the students need. Companies and organizations will be able to view these needs and contact the schools to meet them, or they can click on a different part of the Web page to post what supplies and resources they can offer.

"This Web page will bring together the best of the American spirit and create a network of compassion and charity," Secretary Spellings said. "Schools across the country are taking in displaced students, and Americans want to help them. We are committed to making sure that help gets to those who need it."

In addition to the Web page, Secretary Spellings is leading a number of efforts to help the students affected by the hurricane, and recently announced the following:

• A task force meeting of national education leaders will take place to coordinate and deploy resources, and the Department is in continuous contact with state and local education leaders to provide guidance and support.
• Student loan borrowers living in affected areas may delay payments on their loans without penalty.
• Deadlines for applying to a number of higher education programs have been extended until at least Dec. 1, 2005.
• On a case-specific basis, the Department of Education will relax certain reporting provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act for affected states.

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