STORM RECOVERY UPDATE: PCPS CONTINUES TO INSPECT SCHOOLS, NO DECISION MADE YET REGARDING REOPENING DATE
An update from PCPS Superintendent Fred Heid:
Dear families,
First and foremost, I hope that you and your loved ones are safe in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
The last several days have been long and stressful. Cleanup efforts are underway. But there is much work to be done. We all want to return to some sense of normalcy. We are making progress. Thank you for your continued patience and support as we recover from this storm.
Please allow me to share some important updates:
School Status for Next Week: Monday (Oct. 14) – Friday (Oct.18)
At this time, we have not reached a decision about whether school operations will resume on Monday, Oct. 14.
We will not have an answer until sometime this weekend — perhaps even Sunday. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to safely reopen our schools.
Many of our schools continue to experience power outages. We have more than 120 PCPS school sites. More than 30 schools are without power.
We are grateful to the utility workers who are laboring to restore power throughout our community. We greatly appreciate all of the support from Florida’s utility companies and neighboring states. If you see a utility crew, give them a friendly wave and a thank you.
Even if power is restored today or tomorrow to all school sites, we still have other critical areas of operation to consider:
- Ensuring schools can prepare food safely with necessary refrigeration, sanitation, and water service
- Completing post-storm inspections and cleanup of our campuses
- Having enough staff available to resume school operations
The last consideration is very important. Please remember that many of our teachers and school staff members are dealing with the storm’s impact, including damage to their homes, power outages, and disruptions to their daily lives. Over the next few days, school and district leadership teams will be reaching out to check on them.
We are also asking PCPS staff members who have power and internet service to visit polkschoolsfl.com/survey to complete an online survey to help us better understand their challenges and needs.
We know that closing schools has a huge impact on the plans and lives of our students and employees, as well as their families. Reopening schools is an essential part of the recovery effort.
Having children in school and away from hazardous storm damage is also very important. Many of our students rely upon our schools for food and other support. In addition, our schools serve as a safe and structured environment for our students.
We are working to reopen schools as quickly as possible, but we must make sure our campuses can function properly and safely.
We will provide additional updates as they become available.
For any official announcements or updates, please stay tuned for communications via automated phone calls, emails, our website and social media accounts.
Storm Shelters
I am tremendously proud of the compassion and dedication of our shelter workers who are serving others during this stressful time.
Shelter staff includes school administrators, custodians, school nutrition employees, facilities/operations staff, bus drivers, and so many more! These individuals answered the call to serve people fleeing a dangerous storm. We cannot thank them enough. They stepped away from loved ones and family to serve others.
School sites serving as shelters provided refuge to more than 5,000 people over the course of the last few days. Most of these people have left our shelter sites, and PCPS has been able to close nearly all of its school shelters.
School Facilities
Our assessment teams began inspecting schools as soon as the sun came up today (Oct. 11).
We waited until today to begin our inspections to give work crews time to clear road blockages and hazards. We needed to ensure traveling was safe before beginning our inspections. In addition, we wanted our assessment teams to take care of their families after the storm and address the needs of their households.
So far, our assessment teams have thankfully not seen widespread damage to our buildings. We are mostly dealing with debris scattered around our campuses and perhaps some water damage. However, not all sites have been inspected at this time.
A huge thanks to our facilities and maintenance employees for working tirelessly over the past several days to prepare for this storm. We are grateful for their continuing hard work to make inspections and begin repairs. We also want to thank our custodial staff for their help with serving at shelters during the storm, and working to put our schools back in order.
Post-Storm Concerns for Children
It is very common after a disaster for children to continue experiencing anxiety, fear, sadness and mental stress. Below is some helpful information for parents/guardians from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help children cope after a disaster.
In addition, our teachers and school staff will also be looking for students who are struggling post-storm, and will refer children who are showing any of the symptoms listed below to the school counselor.
In the aftermath of this storm, we wanted to remind PCPS families that our telehealth program is still there to help with your healthcare needs.
During such times, it is very common for children to experience anxiety, fear, sadness and mental stress.
Physical health can also be significantly impacted in times of stress.
Our telehealth program provides mental and physical health services to all PCPS students and their families through a partnership with Hazel Health, a telehealth provider for K-12 schools.
With Hazel, students can immediately speak with a licensed medical professional or mental health clinician right from home. Hazel services are provided at no charge for all students at this time.
Parents and guardians must give consent if they want their children to receive health care services from Hazel Health. To learn more about Hazel Health and submit a Consent for Care form to opt-in to this new service, visit my.hazel.co/polkschoolsfl.
Info from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
After a disaster, children may experience anxiety, fear, sadness, sleep disruption, distressing dreams, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and anger outbursts. Learn the signs of children’s mental stress to help them cope after a disaster.
Emotional stress from a disaster can be harder on children because they:
- Understand less about the situation
- Feel less able to control events
- Have less experience dealing with stressful situations
- May not be able to communicate their feelings, such as fear or anxiety
How can parents and caregivers help children cope after a disaster?
- Give your children opportunities to talk about what they went through or what they think about it. Encourage them to share concerns and ask questions.
- Answer your child’s questions truthfully in a way that they can understand. You can also correct misinformation about the event.
- Limit exposure to mass media coverage of the disaster and its aftermath. Children who were directly exposed to a disaster can become upset again if they see or hear reminders of what happened.
- Allow your children to be with you or another trusted adult who can help them feel safe, calm, connected, and give them a sense of hope.
- Set an example for your child by managing your stress and returning to your normal routine and encouraging your child to do the same. Proceeding with your normal daily routine, such as eating meals as a family or returning to school and work, can help reduce stress.
- If your child’s routines and environment are disrupted, and if you and other caregivers are not able to provide the same consistent care as before, talk about the changes, how long they will last, and what you are doing to create routines and structures.
- Work with teachers and other adults, who see your children in different situations, to share information about how your child is coping.
Remember a child’s emotional reactions after a disaster can vary. Consider talking to your child’s healthcare professional if:
- Your child continues to be very upset (anxious, fearful, sad, angry) for more than 2 to 4 weeks after the disaster
- Your child’s problems worsen instead of improving over time
- Your child’s reactions affect their behavior in early care and education settings, their schoolwork or relationships with friends or family for a prolonged period
Helping a child cope with a disaster can be a challenge for parents.
Any time you feel it is necessary, reach out for professional help and support for you and your child.
CALL or TEXT Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Disaster Distress Hotline: 1-800-985-5990.
People with deafness or hearing loss can use their preferred relay service to call 1-800-985-5990.
Stay Tuned for More Post-Storm PCPS Recovery Updates
Again, no decision has been made about whether we can reopen our schools on Monday, Oct. 14.
We will provide additional updates as they become available over the weekend.
For any official announcements or updates, please stay tuned for communications via automated phone calls, emails, our website and social media accounts.
Please stay safe. Thank you.
