Tag Archives: Tropical Storm Harvey

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 →

Superintendent, HISD staff kick off Harvey relief donation drive at Delmar Fieldhouse

Volunteers arrived early on Friday, Sept. 1 at Delmar Fieldhouse to receive donations from Houstonians and local organizations who want to help HISD students and families recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.

Superintendent Richard Carranza joined HISD administrators, employees, teachers, and students in accepting and sorting donations into boxes lining the perimeter of Delmar.

“We have lots of HISD family here,” said Carranza. “We have lots of teachers, administrators, and support staff, but we also have community volunteers, having a great time and doing a good thing for our community. So come on down and join us as we help Houston recover.”

The district is collecting new, unused clothing, uniforms, pillows, blankets, shoes, undergarments, socks, deodorant, hand sanitizer, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene items, as well as new professional dress for impacted staff.

“Our goals is to provide the essentials — shoes, uniforms, undergarments, hygiene items, and even sleeping bags,” said Annvi Utter, officer of Student Support Services. “We are also very excited that HISD is going to be providing three meals a day to students. That will help with after-school programming and tutorials.”

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Many HISD teachers were on hand in the fieldhouse sorting donations. Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education approves donations for Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education held a special meeting this afternoon to discuss several items related to Hurricane Harvey. The Board voted unanimously to approve the following items:

  • Authorization for HISD for purchasing during crisis
  • Approval of current and future donations to the HISD Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
  • Authorization for Superintendent Richard Carranza to accept a $1 million donation for the HISD Foundation from a private donor for the district’s relief effort
  • Approval for hourly workers to be compensated for the time Harvey forced schools to be closed
  • Superintendent Carranza also updated the Board and the public about damage to HISD facilities. Of the nearly 200 schools our crews have been able to get to so far, he says almost all of them have some water intrusion. The district hopes to have all school sites assessed by midnight.

Central office staff and principals will return on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Teachers will return for a work day on Friday, Sept. 8. And students are scheduled to return on Monday, Sept. 11.

“Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and welcome our babies,” said Board President Trustee Wanda Adams.

How local residents can help HISD families and students recover from Harvey

HISD is activating a local donation site Friday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Sept. 2, at Delmar Fieldhouse for Houstonians or local organizations who want to help the district’s students and families recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath. Two more donation sites will be activated next week.

Starting tomorrow and on Saturday, people can bring donations to Delmar Fieldhouse, 2020 Mangum Rd., Houston, TX 77092, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. People wanting to drop off donations should enter the complex on Mangum Street. Signs will be posted.

The district is accepting donations of the following new, unused items:
Undergarments
Socks
Uniforms
Deodorant
Hand sanitizer
Pillows
Blankets
Shoes
Toothbrushes, toothpaste
Other hygiene items
Professional dress for impacted staff Continue reading →

Resources available for HISD employees affected by Harvey

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, HISD employees and their household members have access to the resources below to help them with flood-related issues such as shelter and transportation, filing claims, counseling, legal assistance, critical medications, and more.

This page will be updated as information becomes available. Continue reading →

HISD to serve meals free of charge to students all year

HISD will serve meals free of charge to students all year, thanks to a combination of waivers and programs at the state and federal level.

HISD serves free breakfast in the classroom all year long, but support for the morning meal will also come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture until Sept. 30. The departments will also help HISD serve lunch free of charge to the one-third of HISD students not already covered by the Community Eligibility Program. Earlier this year, HISD certified 191 schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Program and receive free breakfast and lunch.

The district will work with both the USDA and TDA to gain additional guidance on extending their support beyond Sept. 30. Continue reading →