IBM Tivoli unveiled two new self-healing software
tools last week, as well as a major revision of its IBM Tivoli Monitoring
product, which features a new graphical interface to create programs that
automatically respond to system problems. more…
Looking to quell fears about the potential for
vote tampering with electronic voting machines, the state of California is
sponsoring a hacking test of an optical scan voting device from Diebold Election
Systems.
The initial hacking was slated to be held yesterday
but was postponed, said an investigator at Black Box Voting Inc., a
Renton, Wash.-based nonprofit voter advocacy group. The organization has been
prodding California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson’s office to test
Diebold’s AccuVote optical scan gear for alleged vulnerabilities.
The move comes amid recurring concerns that e-voting
gear, including optical scan and touch-screen voting machines, are vulnerable to
intrusion or rigging. In this case, March claimed that a vulnerability in the
memory card in the Diebold optical scan machine could allow a hacker to replace
code and “doctor the results.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology
is soliciting comments for Special Publication 800-53, a document regarding
mandatory security controls on government information for all federal agencies.
SP 800-53 will be published together with Federal Information Processing
Standard (FIPS) 200, a document which sets forth measures for the protection of
information confidentiality, integrity and availability. Officials say they are
trying to establish a federal standard for all systems, with the strongest
controls to be applied to applications and systems that are most important to an
agency’s mission. Once the Secretary of Commerce signs the FIPS 200 document,
which is expected in February of next year, federal agencies will be required to
use appropriate computer security controls to protect government information
that could be at risk. more…
Managing IT costs and the
service delivery process was just made easier with the release of The Metrics,
IT Service Management and Service Level Agreement bundle. < ?xml:namespace
prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/>
Delivering quality IT
Service and measuring IT’s performance is a difficult and time consuming
exercise. Many enterprises believe that they do not have the time, money, or
resources to initiate and monitor the processes necessary to do this. However,
enterprises cannot determine how much something is worth unless its value can be
quantified. It is a necessity of the new economy that every business unit needs
to demonstrate its worth while meeting necessary service
objectives.
An annual update service is
available.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has not
established adequate controls over sensitive data in its National Emergency
Management Information System (NEMIS), according to a redacted
target=new>report (download PDF) released Monday by Robert Skinner, inspector general of the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
FEMA is now part of the DHS Emergency Preparedness
and Response (EP&R) Directorate
See Disaster Recovery Plan
Template
The integrity of information is crucial when submitting
evidence to the court. Just like crime-scene evidence, which prosecutors must
prove hasn’t been tampered with, electronic data submitted to the court must
adhere to the same stringent requirements. As such, log data generated by the IT
infrastructure also has to be archived in its original and unaltered format.
Reports generated from the logs are usually insufficient
to convince the other side (defense or prosecution) that they haven’t been
tampered with. Lawyers from either side may question the accuracy of the reports
and will want to perform their own analyses. For example, if you claim that
someone has sent out data from the Sarbanes-Oxley-related financial servers, how
do you substantiate that claim? Tampered data can’t be used as evidence to prove
your claim. In these scenarios, unaltered logs have to be provided.
A Mac user who tried to access the FEMA registration
site was unable to do so.
Asked about the online limitation, a FEMA spokeswoman
said the agency is aware of the problem and has asked its IT department to
address it. Further attempts to reach FEMA’s IT unit for more specific
information were unsuccessful this afternoon.
Last month, the World Wide Web Consortium protested a
proposal by the U.S. Copyright Office that could temporarily require online
forms to be submitted using only the Internet Explorer or Netscape Web
browsers.
size=2>http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/recovery/story/0,10801,104440,00.html
more…
Build Your Disaster
Recovery Plan Before Disaster Strikes. Hurricane season is still with us
and earthquakes happen at un-predictable times.< ?xml:namespace prefix = o
ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Now you can apply industry
recognized best practices without spending thousands on consultants.
The Disaster Recovery Planning Template has everything that you
need.
Go to http://www.disaster-planning-template.com/disasterplanning.htm
more…
We have just witnessed one of
the worst natural disasters in modern times. Virtually the entire infrastructure
in New Orleans and other cities in the area has been destroyed. What are the
chances that businesses in the city and surrounding area will recover? Clearly
in the short term the focus will be on rescue and recovery efforts. The
mobilization effort at local, state and Federal levels is growing exponentially.
In the long term we must face the reality that the Gulf coast region will
probably take years to fully recover and rebuild - as President Bush said in his
Wednesday message to the nation about emergency efforts in the region.
Go to
size=2>http://www.disaster-planning-template.com/index.htm
Go to http://www.e-janco.com/Sarbanes-Oxley.htm
more…
Katrina shows the exposure of business that do not
have a Disaster Recovery Plan in place. This
may provide little solace for small and midsize businesses brought down by
Hurricane Katrina, but for as little as $20 per month they could have backed up
their individual workstations to a server site in Salt Lake
City.
http://www.disaster-planning-template.com/disasterplanning.htm
more…
The IT Productivity Center has just launched a RSS
news feed for Disaster-Planning-Template.com. The feed is located at
size=2>http://www.disaster-planning-template.com/DisasterPlanningTemplate.xml
| NEA Hurricane Relief |
NEA supports the children, educators, and families affected by the hurricanes.
|
| Donate Online |
Make a donation to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund online. |
Amidst the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, federal technology funding programs offered hope to school administrators desperately searching for ways to restore stability fast.
In Lake Charles, La., one of the areas hardest hit by the history-making storms, information technology systems were up and running within hours, making it possible for teachers to access irreplaceable records and communicate with students. Funding from two federal programs called E-Rate and Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) are being credited with this success.
E-Rate and EETT grants went toward installing new technologies that allowed the school district in
“It really made a huge difference,” said Sheryl Abshire, NEA member and District Administrative Coordinator of Technology for the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in
In areas without EETT, administrators scrambled for ways to communicate with parents and students. In
“We are seeing that the districts that were fortunate enough to use funding to build out IT infrastructure faired much better than those that were forced to rely on outdated, often paper-based systems,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking. “The value of federal programs like E-Rate and EETT simply cannot be overstated.”
EETT is an initiative of the No Child Left Behind Act and is designed to enable schools to assess student progress, access courses online and provide students with employment tools.
Fifty percent of EETT funds are allocated by a poverty-weighted formula and the other 50 percent by competition. Schools are given broad discretion on what technology tools they acquire, but at least 25 percent of funds must be used for professional development.
As a part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 the E-Rate program provides $2.25 billion each year for discounts on telecommunications service to public and private schools as well as public libraries. Discount rates are based on the federal free and reduced price lunch program, so the lowest income applicants receive the largest discounts.
For more information on emerging technologies, visit www.cosn.org/resources/emerging_technologies/.
– Mary Robbins, Contributing NEA Writer
November 15, 2005
NEA’s Adopt a School program matches schools affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with schools, organizations, and individuals willing to help with supplies, books, equipment, and other basic needs. NEA thanks all who have signed up to adopt a school. Your willingness to help students and educators is appreciated.
If you’ve signed up to adopt a school but have not yet been matched, you’ll be hearing from NEA shortly. If you’re interested in adopting a school, fill out the Adopt a School form. If you’re a school in need, register with the Adopt a School program. Questions? E-mail Adopt-a-School@nea.org.
Cheesequake Elementary, Matawan, NJ - Shirley Elementary, Shirley, AR
Pascock Valley High, Hillsdale, NJ – Shirley High School, Shirley, AR
Nancy Smith Elementary School, Albany, TX – Acadian Elementary School, Alexandria, LA
SEFCU, Albany, NY - Varnado High School, Angie, LA
McGovern Elementary School, Winston, OR - Apollo Elementary School, Bossier City, LA
Strasburg Junior Senior High/I70 Corridor Schools - Clearwood Junior High and Salmen High School, Slidell, LA
Rehoboth Elementary School, Rehoboth, DE – E.S. Richardson Elementary, Minden, LA
Elbert-Palmer Elementary School, Wilmington, DE - Brookhaven Elementary School, Brookhaven, MS
Todd Group, Athens, GA – Beach Elementary School, Pascagoula, MS
Adena Elementary School, Westchester, OH - Central Elementary School, Pascagoula, MS
Mescosta Elementary School, Mecosta, MI - Clinton Park Elementary School, Clinton, MS
University of North Carolina, Greensboro – Harper McCaughan Elementary School, Long Beach, MS
Mountlake Terrace Elementary, WA – Jessie G. McBride Elementary, Greenville, MS
FBI Academy, Quantico, VA – Morgantown Elementary School, Natchez, MS
Bethlehem Middle School, Delmar, NY - Robert Lewis Middle School, Natchez, MS
Fowler Middle School, Tigard, OR - St. Martin Upper Elementary and St. Martin Middle, Ocean Springs, MS
West Homer Elementary, Homer, AK - William J. Berry Elementary, Heidelberg, MS
William Barton Rogers Middle School, Hyde Park, MA - Bammel Middle School, Houston, TX
| NEA Hurricane Relief |
NEA supports the children, educators, and families affected by the hurricanes.
|
| Donate Online |
Make a donation to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund online. |
We have all witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on our Gulf Coast. Thousands of lives have been shattered by the loss of homes, jobs, and separation from loved ones.
The nation’s educators in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) are on the lookout for children separated from their relatives by the storm. While many families have been reunited, there are still kids unaccounted for.
Many displaced children are entering new schools alone because their families have not been found.
NEA members who think they have some of these kids in their schools or classrooms are urged to call 1-888-544-5475.
Additionally, there are still many families who are desperately trying to locate their missing children. NEA and NCMEC will vigilantly continue efforts to protect and identify these children.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® was asked by the U.S. Department of Justice to aid relief efforts.
| NEA Hurricane Relief |
NEA supports the children, educators, and families affected by the hurricanes.
|
| Donate Online |
Make a donation to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund online. |
Rhonda Schell, president of the Beaumont Teachers Association (TSTA/NEA), weathered Hurricane Rita in a cabin by Toledo Bend Lake in eastern Texas after evacuating her hometown of Silsbee. She figured the lake was far enough from the coast to be protected from the storm, but as it raced inland, the hurricane soon knocked out the power. For hours, Schell and her family sat in the heat and the dark, listening to 100 mph winds howl outside.
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| Hurricane Rita toppled trees and power lines across southeastern Texas. |
“I thought for sure the house would come down,” Schell said. It didn’t and, fortunately, neither did the family’s house back in Silsbee, but some of her neighbors weren’t as lucky. As of September 30, they hadn’t been back home, but Schell spoke with a neighbor who told her that several houses behind the Schell’s were completely flattened. The neighbor suspected a hurricane-spawned tornado was to blame.
A special education teacher at Martin Elementary in the Beaumont Independent School District, Schell is eager to get back to work. “I just need to be in a classroom,” she said. “It feels so odd not to be at school with the kids. Just as school children need to get back into a routine, so do adults.”
But some Texas schools may be closed for a month as utility companies struggle to restore power and clean up wind damage. Schell knows that breaks will be shorter and the school year will stretch longer into the summer. What remains unclear is the impact on testing.
“We’re missing critical instruction days,” said Schell. “We had evacuated children from Louisiana and Mississippi in our schools, and now we have our own evacuated children scattered across the region. What will we do about their testing?”
The U.S. Department of Education announced September 29 that schools and districts severely damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will receive automatic waivers for the school year from sanctions under NCLB testing mandates, formally known as Adequate Yearly Progress, while others will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
However, while the flexibility is welcome, NEA is pushing for more waivers, extensions and relief to meet the pressing needs of all teachers, education support professionals, students and schools affected by the hurricanes, including schools taking in displaced students.
Whether or not her school will receive a waiver, Schell plans to use the experience of the 2005 hurricane season in writing exercises once classes resume. “When we get back, boy will we have some stories to share,” she said. “Some of these children who had to evacuate had never been outside of Beaumont. We’ll all have some new words in our vocabulary after this.”
–Cindy Long, NEA Staff Writer
September 30, 2005
Related Links:
Your generous contribution to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund will help NEA’s effort to raise $1 million dollars in support of the students, teachers and school employees affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Return often to the NEA Hurricane Relief Web site for up-to-date news, information and resources on how you can help NEA support those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
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Return often to the NEA Hurricane Relief Web site for up-to-date news, information and resources on how you can help NEA support those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
While not all-inclusive, here’s a list of items schools impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita might need. To register to adopt a school, complete the form.
| NEA Hurricane Relief |
NEA supports the children, educators, and families affected by the hurricanes. |
| Donate Online |
Make a donation to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund online. |
The people of Bayou la Batre, Alabama, know the shrimping business. Made famous by the movie Forrest Gump, Bayou la Batre is the town where Forrest’s friend Bubba grew up. If you know Gulf shrimping, you know hurricanes. But most people in Bayou la Batre have never known a storm as devastating as Hurricane Katrina.
The shrimpers, along with the thousands of Bayou la Batre residents who supported the seafood industry in processing plants, ice houses, netting companies and shucking factories, have lost everything familiar -– their jobs, their homes and their routines.
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Cindy Long/NEA |
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Dozens of families in Bayou la Batre have been living in tents in front of their damaged homes since the hurricane. |
“The livelihood of so many of our residents is gone,” said Sarah Horton, president of the Mobile County ESPO and NEA Board member. “Our community sustained life changing damages.”
Around the Bayou, many of the battered one-story houses are tagged with red “condemned” signs, so families are putting a roof over their heads wherever they can find one — in shelters, with relatives, in campers, even in tents outside their demolished houses.
As residents struggle to put their lives back together, the schools are becoming the focal point for the community.
“The schools have become islands in all of this chaos,” said Rhonda Waltman, NEA member and Assistant Superintendent for Student Services for Mobile County Schools. “Two days after the storm, parents came up to help us clean, wanting to do something to get their children away from the overwhelming stress of the disaster and back into the routine of school.”
But the schools in Bayou la Batre and other parts of Mobile Country have a tough job ahead. Not only are they struggling to provide comfort and support and routine for displaced students in their own communities, they are also enrolling evacuated children from other parts of Mississippi and Louisiana. And that means helping students with even the most basic needs, such as dry shoes and clean clothing.
With a donated washer and dryer, Alba Elementary in Bayou la Batre is providing a change of clean uniforms for the displaced children, but educators know that the needs of children go far beyond uniforms. Having their lives turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina has put an enormous emotional strain on children.
“We’re making sure we meet the physical needs of the students, and are providing them safety and security, but for the long term we have to think about their emotional needs,” Waltman said. “With the help of the Mobile County Mental Health Center, every out-of-state displaced child is assigned a social worker and every in-state displaced child is assigned a social worker.”
In Alba Middle and Alba Elementary, everyone has a hurricane story. Educators encourage the students to tell theirs through journals, drawings or short essays. In one essay, a young Alba Elementary student observed that Hurricane Katrina left many people with nothing but their names.
Educators are also on the lookout for signs of aggression, acting out, clinginess or other indicators that a child isn’t coping. And though every effort is made to help the students express and handle their feelings, no one can say how long it will take before the children start to heal.
“This is a first for everyone,” said Waltman. “It’s just a big unknown.”
| NEA Hurricane Relief |
NEA supports the children, educators, and families affected by the hurricanes.
|
| Donate Online |
Make a donation to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund online. |
For two long days after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, NEA member Bridget Pugh couldn’t reach her husband. He had decided to stay behind when she and her 12-year-old daughter finally fled the rising waters of their home in Driftwood Acres in Mobile County, Alabama.
The day after the storm, Pugh and her daughter tried to get back to their home. “We went down there but we couldn’t get to the house,” she said. “People were in the water waist-deep trying get out of the area, but my husband was still down there somewhere.”
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Finally, she says, they were able to make contact by phone. And a relieved Pugh started making plans to meet her husband at their house to survey the situation. Mentally she had already rolled up her sleeves, ready to take on a massive cleanup effort.
When she got to her neighborhood, the devastation was worse than she had expected. “It was overwhelming,” Pugh said. “I could not believe what I saw. People’s houses were in their yards, everything was soaked.”
Still, she says she kept her hopes up — until she opened the front door to her own home. The water had gone on a rampage through the house, destroying everything inside. “I was not prepared,” she said. “I was just not prepared….We lost everything we had.”
Bridget Pugh and her family are hardly alone. Though news reports have focused mainly on New Orleans and coastal Mississippi, thousands of people in Mobile County were hit hard by Katrina. But this library paraprofessional counts herself among the lucky ones because of the outpouring of support that she has received from her school and Association family. She appreciates all of the offers of financial help she has received, and counts among her blessings the many phone calls and hugs that mean so much to her.
“It means a lot to know that other people care,” she said. “The more people pitch in, the sooner we can get back to our regular lives.”
Darlene Brannan has been staying with friends ever since her home in Bayou Sara, Alabama, was deluged during Hurricane Katrina. And she’s not expecting to move back home any time soon.
Brannan, a Mobile County School District bus driver and NEA member, was able to evacuate with her two teenagers before the waters engulfed their neighborhood.
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“It’s amazing, once that water starts coming, how fast it comes. It seems like it’s coming at you at 75 miles per hour,” she said. “It was a battle against time.”
They returned two days later to find their home devastated. Even though Brannan has gone back every day to clean up and salvage what she can, her house remains uninhabitable. Mold climbs the walls and shallow pockets of grimy water cover the floors. Her yard is piled high with broken appliances, sodden mattresses and ruined furniture.
But unlike a lot of Hurricane Katrina survivors, Brannan still has a job to go to. She drives a school bus to Clark Magnet School, which is in a neighborhood that sustained wind damage but not the kind of devastation that Brannan and so many others know firsthand. Despite her own situation, she tries to remain upbeat for her young riders “because I know how hard it is for them to understand what’s happened.”
She says the Red Cross and FEMA have been helpful, and she has received clothes, money and gift cards from her colleagues at school and fellow NEA members. “Everyone is being very helpful,” she said.
Like many impacted by Katrina, Brannan is not certain what comes next. She can’t live in her house, yet she still has to make mortgage payments. And she has yet to find an affordable place to rent.
Whether she will ultimately remain in Bayou Sara is another question for Brannan, whose home was also hit by Hurricane Georges in 1999. “I really don’t know if I’ll be able to stay here,” she said. “It’s just so hard -– emotionally, physically and mentally. I just don’t know if I can do it again.”
| NEA Hurricane Relief |
NEA supports the children, educators, and families affected by the hurricanes. |
| Donate Online |
Make a donation to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund online. |
|
Alec Thigpen/NEA |
| NEA President Reg Weaver, right, examines the ruined gym floor at Alba Middle School. |
On South Wintzell Avenue in Bayou la Batre, Alabama, towering piles of debris lined the street. Boarded-up shop windows and doors were tagged with spray-painted warnings: “Keep Out. Looters will be Shot.” The humid air was filled with dust and echoed with the drone of bulldozers and the clang of metal against metal. But above the din, out in the schoolyard, the sound of girls laughing and clapping signaled a growing sense of hope in this storm-weary town. Cheerleading practice had resumed at Alba Middle School.
That sense of hope swelled when NEA President Reg Weaver arrived in Bayou la Batre September 19. “We have a mission!” Weaver said, as a group of Alba Middle students surrounded him to hear how NEA is helping their school.
Just after Hurricane Katrina, the students at Alba Middle and Alba Elementary, next door, couldn’t find much to be hopeful for. Powerful winds whipped up a 30-foot tidal surge that swept into their schools, swamping classrooms, destroying lockers — along with their owner’s belongings inside — and reducing what had been a brand-new and gleaming hardwood basketball court in the gym into a gluey mess of tar. Four feet of water deluged the music room, and dozens of waterlogged library books had to be thrown away.
But after the maintenance crews and custodians, many of them NEA members, took on the heroic effort of cleaning up, the fetid smell of floodwater began to lift. Furniture was scoured or replaced. With the help of contractors, floors and carpeting were taken up and classrooms were disinfected. And new books began to appear on scrubbed shelves. Only nine days following the disaster, classes were back in session.
On his tour of Alba Middle and Alba Elementary schools, Weaver saw the ravages the schools suffered and the hard work of the staff, parents and students to start putting their schools back in order.
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Cindy Long/NEA |
| The lockers at Alba Middle School had to be ripped out after the storm and wait in a heap outside of the gym. The lockers have yet to be replaced. |
“I will never forget what I have seen, or what these people have told me,” Weaver said. “I make a solemn vow to bring their stories back to Washington to make sure that our national leaders understand just how important it is we help.”
NEA presented two checks of $2,500 to Alba Middle and Alba Elementary schools to help with recovery. “This is from our hearts,” said Sarah Horton, president of the Mobile County ESP and NEA Board Member, on behalf of NEA’s 2.7 million members. The checks represent some of the first assistance distributed through NEA’s effort to raise $1 million for schools, students, and school employees affected by the hurricane.
NEA also presented $60,000 in direct aid to the Alabama Association of Educators.
“It means so much that NEA has traveled down here to witness firsthand the unique needs and challenges facing us in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,” said AEA President Ollie Underwood. “Their generosity and support will allow Alabama’s students, educators and their schools to get back to a sense of normalcy during this difficult time.”
Tennessee Education Association
Members Help with Katrina Recovery
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| Franklin Special School District member Dr. Mary Gist, assistant principal at Freedom Middle School, helped load supplies for those hit by the storm in the Pascagoula, Mississippi vicinity. |
“Many families can’t afford to do a lot, but our members want to know they have done something to help.” These words of Monroe County EA member Rachel Boshears tell the story of TEA members throughout the Volunteer State as they mobilize to provide whatever assistance they can to the thousands of victims left ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Teachers in Monroe County are asking their students to bring $1 each in hopes of raising $750 in this rural Tennessee area to donate to relief funds. No sooner had they learned that their fellow Americans in the Gulf area (including Association colleagues and members of their own families in some instances) were in need did TEA members begin their efforts.
Franklin Special School District member Dr. Mary Gist (at right), assistant principal at Freedom Middle School, joined with colleagues and students and members of the Franklin community to collect and transport bottled water and other supplies for hurricane victims in the Pascagoula, Mississippi vicinity. The fact that FSSD Director of Schools Dr. David Snowden and husband and wife FSSD administrators Anthony and Sharon Ladner are from that area gave them added impetus. A semi-trailer and several vans full of supplies departed at 4:00 a.m. Sept. 2, long before official disaster relief efforts even began.
“Educators are always at the front of the line when it comes to offering assistance,” said TEA President Judy Beasley,” and many of our local associations are collecting essential school supplies or making a monetary contribution earmarked for education needs. Several school systems are taking Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida students into their schools.”
When this article was written, Blount County schools had enrolled 15 evacuated students, with 10 in Maryville and six in Alcoa. In Franklin, site of a large Red Cross shelter, more than 70 hurricane victims had enrolled in the city’s chools, with officials bracing for more. In Johnson City, TEA member Cathy Parris welcomed Slidell, LA native Sheldon Kappel into her second grade classroom.
“My main objective is to make him feel like he is part of our school family.”
Eleven new students have enrolled in Johnson City schools, with four in Kingsport and three in Bristol. Clarksville-Montgomery schools have enrolled 48 evacuated students, and in Hamilton County, enrollments doubled from 31 to 75 in one day. Metro Nashville officials expect more than 300 enrollees. “TEA members always put students first, and have never nor ever will leave a child behind,” said Beasley.
–Bill Guy, TEA
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In the days and weeks following the catastrophic hurricanes, our members have rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to help Gulf Coast residents impacted by the storms, including thousands of evacuated students and fellow educators. Here are some of their stories. Check back regularly as we update the page with more on what NEA members are doing to help.
Amidst the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, federal technology funding programs offered hope to school administrators desperately searching for ways to restore stability fast.
IEA members throughout Illinois are lending a hand to those suffering as a result of the recent hurricanes. Their activities are a tribute not only to their kindness and generosity, but to their creativity as well
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| Students in Colchester, Vt., who were inspired by a conversation with their teacher, have raised more than $1,500 for hurricane relief efforts through art auctions, coin drops and the sale of their own innovation: glow in the dark bracelets inscribed with the words “Hurricane Relief.” |
Rhonda Schell, president of the Beaumont Teachers Association (TSTA/NEA), is eager to get back into the classroom, but schools throughout her district were closed after Hurricane Rita.
A library paraprofessional and a bus driver, their homes devastated, are getting by with a little help from their Association family.
Public schools in Bayou la Batre, AL, are helping students and their families with immediate and long-term needs after the hurricane.
NEA President Reg Weaver toured two Alabama schools September 19 and presented the schools and the Alabama Association of Educators with aid from NEA’s relief fund.
In the disaster zone and around the country, NEA members and their fellow educators are pitching in to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.
Educators at one Houston school not only made room for children who were evacuated from flooded areas, they welcomed them with smiles and warm hearts.
At this Houston elementary school, the daily routine at school is an important part of the healing process for children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
TEA members throughout the Volunteer State are mobilizing to provide whatever assistance they can to the thousands of victims left ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
| NEA Hurricane Relief |
NEA supports the children, educators, and families affected by the hurricanes.
|
| Donate Online |
Make a donation to the NEA HIN Hurricane Relief Fund online. |
With round-the-clock coverage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, scenes of devastation are inescapable and extremely troubling, especially to children. They may wonder, Am I safe? Could this happen to me? Why did this happen to those other kids?
These questions are difficult to answer and may spark hard questions of your own. Here are some resources to help you address common fears and anxieties.
TeacherTV Video ClipsNEA’s TeacherTV visited Valmeyer, Illinois, after it was engulfed by floods in August 1993. Eighty percent of students and a third of school employees lost their homes to the raging waters.
Find out how teachers and students faced this catastrophe and found the strength to rebuild. The lessons they learned can help anyone dealing with disaster.
(You need the Real Video 
player to access these files.)
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Introduction |
Summary. How is education affected by disaster? How can teachers keep learning alive while helping students cope with loss? |
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Summary. Valmeyer lost not only its school, it lost the backbone of its town. Housed in a temporary structure, educators formed a committee to assess needs and organize relief efforts, but this only addressed logistics. They also needed to help students (and each other) acknowledge their loss and work through grief before teaching and learning could take place. |
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Summary. The flood was incorporated into daily curriculum. Lessons took on a sense of immediacy and allowed students to talk about their experiences. The temporary school became one of few stable elements in students’ lives. Gradually, they began to accept their loss and look to the future. Planning for a new school signalled a new beginning for the residents of Valmeyer. |
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| TeacherTV is a multiple Emmy award-winning television show that aired on The Learning Channel. Produced in partnership between the National Education Association and Discovery Networks, it featured real teachers in real classrooms, and showed what’s right with America’s public schools. | |
Louisiana educators can check here to find information on the status of their school districts, school opening dates, and registration dates.
Displaced School Staff
The Louisiana Department of Education has information on its Web site that allows teachers and other school employees to find out the status of their school districts and opening dates (if available). This Web site is updated daily.
http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/index.html
School employees can also contact the Louisiana Department of Education via their hotline at (877) 453-2721.
The Department has also created an online form to enable school employees to report their current location so that their district or school may establish contact with them. The form also allows school employees to apply for other positions in the Louisiana school system or request a duplicate certificate.
Go to www.teachlouisiana.net.
Here is the latest information as of September 12, 2005, from eight parishes.
Almost all of our schools have been under water, and we will not, in all likelihood, be fully operational this school year. Therefore, if you can find employment, secure it. If not, file for unemployment benefits. Those of you who have direct deposit should have received your August 31 paycheck already and will receive an additional payroll check on September 15. If you do not have direct deposit, call the Louisiana State Department of Education at 1 (877) 453-2721. Be prepared to give us your name, address and social security number, and we will forward your paycheck to you. At this time, we cannot answer questions concerning additional payroll, insurance benefits or credit union issues. However, we do hope to have answers for you within the next two weeks and an e-mail address for direct contact. Stay tuned and we will keep you updated as soon as we have additional information.
WE WILL REBUILD OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. Please know that we are meeting with state and federal officials in an effort to secure the funding necessary to take care of our employees and our children.
God bless you and your families. Pray for strength, confident that if we all pull together, we will emerge from this challenge as stronger people building a better and stronger community. We have the VISION; we will put forth the EFFORT; and we will be SUCCESSFUL.
God bless us all!
Doris Voitier
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Washington Parish School System will resume classes September 19, 2005. All 12-month employees should have reported to their respective positions on Monday, September 12, 2005. All school faculty members are to report to their school on Thursday, September 15, 2005. Any displaced students wishing to enroll in Washington Parish Schools are asked to enroll at the school on Tuesday, September 20, 2005.
Thank you,
Donna Alonzo
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(800-259-6289)
http://www.stcharles.k12.la.us/
www.stcharles.k12.la.us
Call Diane Rochelle: (985) 764-9626 or (504) 491-5063
Edie Sirmon: (985) 785-0416 or (504) 559-5770
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September 8, 2005
Dear Parents, Guardians, Students and Staff:
Our supervisors, principals, vice principals, coordinators and program managers met this morning at Bogalusa High School. We discussed this scheduled reopening of our schools on Monday, October 3, 2005. Our proposed school schedule will be as follows:
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Temporary numbers (225) 342-1872 or (225) 342-1548
September 9, 2005
To All Employees of the Plaquemines Parish School Board
We would like to clear up any and all rumors and miscommunications that might have occurred about the future of our 2005-2006 school year in Plaquemines. We are cooperating fully with parish officials to make sure that we have safe, secure schools for our students to attend. Due to the amount of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina throughout the parish on both sides of the river and the numbers of emergency and rescue personnel in Belle Chasse, the estimated opening of schools in Plaquemines will not occur until approximately January. At that time we will open our three schools in Belle Chasse for all the students in the parish. At this point we can assure you that you will receive your September and October base paychecks. These checks would not include extra curricular duty pay, for example sponsorships or athletic duties. We are working diligently on securing funds to continue to pay your salaries and benefits until we get back to work. Please call the number below if you do not have direct deposit since that will be the only source of payment.
In the meantime we encourage you to seek other employment if you can find it. State officials have confirmed that securing other employment will not jeopardize receiving your pay from PPSB.
We want you to know that we appreciate each and every employee. We want to keep all employees. The state department is firm in its commitment to keeping intact one of the best systems in the state — Plaquemines.
We need information from you. Please call our temporary offices in the Louisiana Department of Education to inform us where you are and your status: (225) 342-1872 or (225) 342-1548.
Watch for further updates on louisianaschools.net and ppsb.org.
Please know that you are in our hearts and prayers in these challenging times.
Sharon Branan
School Board President
James Hoyle
Superintendent
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Urges NOPS Employees to Call the Toll-Free Hotline
(877) 771-5800
Alvarez & Marsal, the restructuring firm that has been working with the New Orleans Public Schools, is leading an effort to process the NOPS payroll originally scheduled for September 2, 2005.
Last week, A&M and NOPS team members retrieved back-up tapes containing payroll information for NOPS employees. This information and the required software are now being recovered and uploaded to systems at IBM’s Disaster Recovery Data Center in Tuxedo, New York –- a complex project that takes at least several days. Once all information is recovered and the system is tested, A&M expects to make arrangements with a national financial services company -– with locations around the country -– to distribute payments to employees. A&M said that payments, which might be in the form of advances if accurate payroll information is not quickly recoverable, would be available on September 15.
Bill Roberti, managing director of A&M who has been serving as chief restructuring officer for NOPS, said: “To date, over 3,000 employees have called the hotline and provided their contact information. It is crucially important that all employees call in, if they have not already done so. We need your contact information in order to get in touch with you to provide updates and future information.”
A&M has also set up a new Web page, www.alvarezandmarsalnops.com, which provides information and answers to frequently asked questions. In addition, the Web site of the Louisiana Department of Education, www.louisianaschools.net, is an excellent source as well.
“Rebuilding New Orleans, rebuilding the schools and assisting everyone whose life has been devastated by this disaster will be an enormous undertaking,” continued Roberti. “We are proud to be part of a team being led by State Superintendent Cecil Picard, who is showing leadership, compassion, and keen insight during this crisis. Our prayers are with the residents of this region and the many individuals and organizations who are working to restore it.”
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(866) 563-6559
September 8, 2005
Jefferson Parish Public School System Announces Scheduled September Payroll Posting
The Jefferson Parish Public School System announced today it will post employees’ regularly scheduled September 15 and September 30 payroll, as of the current personnel records, through direct deposit. All employees will receive compensation based on personnel data as of records on file on August 26, 2005.
Newly hired teachers and/or support staff will have their checks mailed to their last known address of record. Regular and newly hired employees will receive their regular pay and/or step increase in the September 15 pay check.
Employees with checking and/or savings accounts with Jefferson Parish School Board Employees’ Credit Union can access their accounts through the financial institution’s toll free number of (800) 259-2471. Employees can also access their accounts through one of the Credit Union Service Centers. Employees can contact the JPSBECU’s Web site at www.jpsbecu.org.
Administrators credit the mandatory direct deposit, instituted in 2004, with the ability to distribute pay utilizing remote access. Additionally in 2004, the business services department upgraded critical hardware and software to better handle emergency conditions. “Our employees can rest assured that their payroll records and personnel data are secure,” said Jefferson Parish Public School System Chief Financial Officer Raylyn Stevens. “Last year’s upgrade has allowed us to accurately transfer and monitor this crucial information from our satellite location here in Baton Rouge. This system will permit our staff to operate at a high level of efficiency until we move into a permanent location.”
Jefferson Parish Public School System Releases Preliminary Damage Report The Jefferson Parish Public School System released today a preliminary report from its Facilities Department on the condition status of some of its schools following the impact from Hurricane Katrina last week. The initial assessment report is a compilation of on-site inspections, law enforcement reports, and use of high resolution satellite photographs. The report will continue to evolve as new data is received.
The report classifies the condition of facilities into three categories. Class A facilities will require little to no repair. Class B facilities have isolated damage but the school could be utilized. Class C facilities sustained sever damage and wide spread areas of the school can not be utilized without major repair and/or renovation work completed. According to the preliminary report, 30 schools remain to be surveyed by the system’s property preservation team due to inconclusive or no data. 41 schools are in Class A and are in usable condition. Eleven schools are in Class B with isolated damage, but are in usable condition. Nine schools are in Class C and received significant damage from the hurricane.
The following schools are in Class A: Adams, Airline, Alexander, Audubon, Birney, Boudreaux, Bissonet, Cuillier, Deckbar, Dolhonde, Ellender, Ellis, Ford, Greenlawn, Gretna Middle, Gretna Kindergarten, Harris, Harvey, Hazel Park, Haynes, Hearst, Helen Cox, Higgins, Janet, Jefferson, Keller, Livaudais, Live Oak, Maggoire, Matas, Metairie Academy, Rillieux, Riverdale High, Riviere, Roosevelt, Schneckenburger, St. Ville, Truman, Westwego, Woods, Worley.
The following schools are in Class B: Chateau, Clancy, Douglass, Grace King, Harahan, Hart, Kate Middleton, McDonogh #26, Meisler, Riverdale Middle, West Jefferson High.
The following schools are in Class C: Ames, Bonnabel, East Jefferson High, Gretna Park, Lincoln, Ruppel, Solis, Thomas Jefferson, Woodmere.
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Tangipahoa Schools re-open on September 15, 2005.
AMITE—Tangipahoa Parish School Superintendent Louis Joseph said the public school system is committed to welcoming students displaced by Hurricane Katrina and has established a number of opportunities for families to register students in the next several days.
In a joint meeting held today at the central office in Amite, the Tangipahoa Parish School Board, principals, supervisors, and other central office staff discussed plans for resuming classes in an organized manner. Among the decisions made today:
After an approximate number of displaced students is determined, and once the assessment is completed of the space avialable at each school site, students will be assigned to their new schools.
If a child has medical needs or requires medication during the school day, please bring the medication/medical requirements to registration so TPSS Nursing Staff can make a reasonable assessment of the child’s needs.
The Tangipahoa Parish School System has established two “hotline numbers” for citizens to obtain registration information. The phone numbers are (985) 310-3111 and (985) 310-3112. Operators will be available to answer phones during the regular school system working hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Superintendent Joseph said, on behalf of the entire school system, “I would like express our appreciation to the many agencies and individuals who have worked countless hours to expedite our re-opening of school. The process has been a team effort. I am asking that you continue to be patient with us as we work through the process of resuming school.
