Chief of Schools Information Item

DATE:	Tuesday, August 14, 2018
TO:	School Board Members
FROM:	Jeff Eakins, Superintendent
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS
District Staff and Community Organizations Work Collaboratively to Provide Successful Transitions for Families Displaced by Hurricane Maria (Chief of Schools)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As a year-end summary, our district welcomed almost 1,500 students affected by hurricanes in the 2017/2018 school year. Over 1,100 students came from Puerto Rico and other Caribbean territories displaced by Hurricane Maria.  More than 90 percent of these students came from Puerto Rico. Currently, 70 percent of these students remained enrolled in our schools through the end of the school year, indicating resettlement trends coinciding with a recent community assessment conducted by the University of South Florida in partnership with the Latino Coalition of Tampa Bay.  According to this assessment, “A number of participants expressed praise for the welcome and enrollment assistance they received from the Hillsborough County School District” (Ersing, 2018). Hillsborough County Public Schools has worked diligently to ensure that students and families displaced by hurricanes felt valued and supported.  The influx of students welcomed by our schools created opportunities for our support systems to respond.  By serving in a collaborative partnership with federal, state, and local organizations, we ensured students had the least interruption to their education during this transition. Our district implemented various support systems and procedures throughout the year including: Immediate enrollment Stability in the academic process School and districtwide monetary and supply drives Bienvenidos Community Outreach Professional development Parent and community workshops
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
All Strategic Objectives
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted:  No)
The school district is provided additional funds for students identified through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Hillsborough Education Foundation, and in-kind support from area community organizations.
EVALUATION
Ersing, R., Antonov, V. & Hackett, J. (2018). Latino Coalition of Tampa Bay Report. Research Methods in Urban Planning. University of South Florida.
SUBMITTED BY:  Araseli Martinez-Pena, Coordinator, Hispanic & Multicultural Outreach

MaryLou Whaley, Director		Harrison Peters
Community Engagement & Philanthropy (813) 272-4428		Chief of Schools (813) 272-4071
		C 11.01
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20180814_894 (Board Meeting) * Section C Item# 11.01