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Hurricane Sandy Recovery

11.05.2012 | Advocates for Children hopes you and your loved ones made it safely through Hurricane Sandy. The New York City public schools have experienced a number of disruptions due to the storm. We hope the following information and resources will assist you and your family as students transition back to school. 

SCHOOL CLOSURES AND RELOCATIONS

The majority of New York City schools reopened today. A number of schools, however, sustained severe damage from the storm and remain closed. Those schools will be temporarily relocated, and the Department of Education says they will reopen to students on Wednesday, November 7. You can find a list of relocated schools, as well as the schools that will host them, here. In some instances, schools will be relocated across multiple sites. Additional schools remain closed today because they are serving as shelter sites or do not have power. Students in those schools can return on Wednesday, November 7.

All schools will be closed on Tuesday, November 6 for Election Day.

For the most current information on school closures and relocations, visit the Department of Education's website.

STUDENTS LIVING IN TEMPORARY HOUSING

Many families have been displaced by the storm and are currently staying with friends or relatives, or at a motel or shelter. These families are considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Under McKinney-Vento, homeless children residing outside their original school district have the right to continue to attend their school of origin OR enroll in a school closer to their temporary residence.

Displaced elementary and middle school students who wish to attend the zoned school for their temporary residence can find their zoned school by visiting schools.nyc.gov or calling 311. If there is no zoned school for an address, you should visit an enrollment office. To find the enrollment office nearest you, visit schools.nyc.gov or call 311. All displaced high school students should visit an enrollment office if they would like to enroll at a high school that is closer to their new residence. Displaced students do not need to provide any documents in order to enroll.

For more information on students' rights under the McKinney-Vento Act, visit the website of Advocates for Children's New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students (NYS-TEACHS) at www.nysteachs.org or call the NYS-TEACHS toll-free Helpline, 1-800-388-2014.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

If you or your loved ones have been affected by Hurricane Sandy and are in need of assistance, you can register with FEMA for aid. To do so, call (800) 621-3362 or TTY (800) 462-7585 or register online at www.disasterassistance.gov.

The Red Cross has shelters throughout affected areas. Visit their website for a listing or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Distribution locations for food, water, and blankets can be found here.

Information on Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available here.

Additional information about the relief effort can be found at www.nyc.gov, www.governor.ny.gov, and www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy.

For other questions related to the NYC schools, AFC will try to help. Call the Jill Chaifetz Education Helpline, 1-866-427-6033, Monday to Thursday, 10 am to 4 pm.