Belva Parrish, the counselor at Wilson and a 25-year veteran of Houston's public schools, says the pet update on the school's Facebook page was one small way schools can help students heal.
"Trauma stems from not having any control of your situation," she says. "Banding together, being a place where students feel safe and they know they have a voice to be heard, will go a long way towards helping them."
Leaders are positioning public schools as the place to address students' needs from the physical to the social and emotional. This is in tune with a growing emphasis in districts across the country, on going beyond the strictly academic when thinking about the jobs schools must do.
Instead of closing schools for months, Superintendent Carranza committed to reopening starting just two weeks after the storm, with two more rolling dates in September. Students from the nine most damaged schools will be transferred elsewhere.
He announced within days of Harvey that all students will be eligible to receive three free meals at school for the entire year. Breakfast will be served in the classroom or handed to students as they get off the bus; dinner will be available at after-school programs or packaged for students to take home. The district is giving out free school uniforms and holding a "Parent Summit" to connect parents to information, plus transportation, clothing and school supplies.
To read more of Anya Kamenetz' article, please click here.
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