New HISD schools sustain minimal damage, set to open on Sept. 11

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After a two-week delay, nine new and rebuilt schools across the Houston Independent School District will open their doors to students for the first time on Monday, Sept. 11.

The schools sustained only minor damages during Hurricane Harvey and the resulting floods, and contractors were able to make any needed repairs while the district was closed due to inclement weather. Continue reading →

Vote now and help Sharpstown HS win $100K

Sharpstown High School is in the running to win a $100,000 customized sports equipment grant from Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Let’s Play, and Good Sports, and they need your help.

Voting started today, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m., and you can vote once a day by visiting this Facebook link: http://woobox.com/vr6esa. You will need a Facebook account to vote. If you have trouble accessing this link, you can also visit the Let’s Play Facebook page here.

The field has been narrowed down to 20 finalists, and based on the number of votes, there will be 10 winners. One school receives the grand prize and the nine runners-up each receive a $1,000 PE kit that contains inflatables, pinnies, cones, and other PE essentials.

Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sept. 17, and the winners will be notified the week of Sept. 25.

Volunteer to help HISD families and students recover from Harvey 

Volunteers help sort donated items at Delmar Fieldhouse.

Individuals and local organizations have an opportunity to help HISD students and families impacted by  Hurricane Harvey by volunteering at the district’s designated donation site.

Delmar Fieldhouse (2020 Mangum Road, Houston, TX 77092) will be receiving donations the week of Sept. 11 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone interested in volunteering will need to sign-up by clicking here, and select the day and time they can volunteer.  Continue reading →

HISD implements rolling school start dates, will move students from most damaged schools to temporary locations

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The Houston Independent School District is implementing rolling start dates for the first day of school based on the level of flooding damage at campuses, and students from the schools most devastated by Hurricane Harvey will be relocated to temporary campuses.

“During Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the surrounding school districts took six months to open their schools,” said HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza. “Hurricane Harvey was just as destructive, and we’re attempting to open a much larger school district in two weeks.  Because of that, not everyone is going to start on September 11.”

Click here for an up-to-date database of school start dates. Please note that school start dates may change, so continue to monitor the list in the coming days and weeks.

Hurricane Harvey aftermath: FAQs

After completing an assessment of 306 school and office buildings in an area spanning 312 square miles, HISD has found that some schools have substantial damages and will require students to attend classes at nearby vacant school buildings or underutilized campuses. Below is a list of affected campuses. Students will have their first day of classes at new locations to be determined: Continue reading →

Donate to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts

Individuals and organizations locally and out of state can assist for relief efforts

Many HISD families have been devastated by the catastrophic flooding in the Houston area caused by Hurricane Harvey, and HISD welcomes assistance from local individuals and organizations, plus state and national groups or corporations that would like to help our students recover and prepare for the coming school year.

Donate to the HISD Foundation

The HISD Foundation is accepting monetary donations to help families recover, and 100% of funds raised will go directly to helping HISD students and families. Click here to make a donation, and please specify “Harvey” as the purpose of your donation.

Volunteer at HISD donation site

Donate clothing and supplies

Those in the Houston and surrounding area can bring donations to Delmar Fieldhouse, 2020 Mangum Rd., Houston, TX 77092, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m through Friday, Sept. 29. People wanting to drop off donations should enter the complex on Mangum Street. Signs will be posted. Continue reading →

Delmar Fieldhouse serving as makeshift donation center 

Staff and community members teaming up to help victims of the storm

HISD staff members and volunteers from across the city are helping out with Hurricane Harvey relief by collecting much-needed items for the students and families affected by the storm.

HISD’s Delmar Fieldhouse has been become a makeshift donation center for school uniforms and supplies, toiletries, socks, underwear, and 5,000 pairs of shoes recently donated by Mythiquer Pickett, the founder of We See Abilities.

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Save the Children brings Jill Biden to HISD to tour storm damage 

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Former Second Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday toured Forest Brook Middle School and the community surrounding Hilliard Elementary School, which were impacted by Hurricane Harvey, afterward joining a panel discussion with HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza.

Biden is board chair of Save the Children, a child advocacy group that aims to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and emergency aid during natural disasters. The group has mobilized support across the state in the wake of Harvey, creating child-friendly spaces in shelters and working with local officials and partners to get more volunteers on the ground.

After visiting the badly flooded neighborhood around Hilliard, Biden walked through nearby Forest Brook, where post-Harvey cleanup is underway. She chatted with Forest Brook Principal Tannisha Gentry, who showed her through some classrooms and the library, where three feet of wet drywall had been removed.  Continue reading →

Free uniforms available for distribution at 7 sites across city

The Houston Independent School District, along with county and city officials, will be distributing thousands of free school uniforms to students at seven locations across the city from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9. Students must be present to be fitted in order to receive clothing.

HISD has relaxed its school uniform policy until January 2018, but students may wear uniform clothing to school if they have purchased or received those items.

The distribution locations are: Continue reading →

All nine HISD meal sites open for Houston community in wake of Harvey

The Houston Independent School District is supporting relief efforts in communities across Houston by providing meals to families and individuals affected by the recent floods.  HISD’s Nutrition Services began serving breakfast, lunch and dinner free of charge at sites in the Houston area. All nine sites are now open. The meals will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to all community members.

Breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m.-noon, and dinner from 4-5 p.m.  Those times are subject to change.  Meals will be offered at the following locations: Continue reading →