************************ From Kirk Winters & Peter Kickbush, U.S. Department of Education and the EDInfo list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- Friday, September 14, 2001. See http://www.ed.gov/inits/september11/index.html =================================================================== "Education Department Announces Aid Available to School Districts Impacted by Terrorist Attacks -- Education Web site also to feature suggestions for parents & educators trying to help their children understand the terrorist attacks" (September 14, 2001) =================================================================== U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that the U.S. Department of Education would be making a series of grants totaling in the millions of dollars to the school districts directly impacted by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center & the Pentagon. Paige also announced that the department would provide information resources to parents & teachers to help children dealing with the effects of the attacks, but who were not directly impacted. Paige announced that the department has contacted the chief state school officers, as well as local school authorities, in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia & Washington, D.C., to offer them assistance with counseling & support services for their schoolchildren & faculty. In the coming days, the department will announce a series of grants to school districts in these states that were directly impacted by the terrorist attacks for assistance with grief & trauma counseling & other services, including a major grant to New York City Board of Education schools. "It will take some time for the school districts that have suffered directly as a result of these acts of terror to determine the nature & extent of their need for our assistance," Paige said. "They each have our assurance that Project SERV grants will be available to them when they determine their needs & priorities. The U.S. Department of Education will be there to assist our schools in meeting the needs of their students & faculty & the communities they serve." Each of the grants will come from the department's Project SERV. Created with a $10 million appropriation from Congress in 2000, Project SERV is intended to provide assistance such as counseling services to local school districts that have experienced a traumatic event. The funds are available to meet the immediate needs of the students in these school districts as well as their longer-term crisis response needs. Paige also announced that the department's Web site will feature suggestions for adults with children & for educators in order to offer help to the children who may be struggling with the terrorist attacks & the images & stories of terror & destruction that they have been exposed to in recent days. "As adults, we must offer them our undivided attention & unequivocal support," Paige said. "All adults should be concerned about how well the children in their lives understand what has taken place. Families & teachers alike should know that they play a central role in helping children to understand what has taken place, to separate fact from fiction & to establish a sense of safety. There are simple things adults can do -- but the most important is to listen to & talk to the children in their lives. They also need to watch for signs of unusual behavior & take steps to limit exposure to television & Internet imagery." These & other suggestions are listed on the Department of Education's Web site at http://www.ed.gov. The department will also continue building links to other Web resources for parents & educators. =================================================== "Helping Children Understand the Terrorist Attacks" U.S. Department of Education (September 14, 2001) =================================================== ==> Information on how to help children understand the terrorist attacks: * Suggestions for Adults: Talking & Thinking with Children About the Terrorist Attacks http://www.ed.gov/inits/september11/adults.html * Suggestions for Educators: Meeting the Needs of Students http://www.ed.gov/inits/september11/educators.html ==> Where you can find additional information & resources: * American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry http://www.aacap.org/ * Emergency Services & Disaster Relief Branch, Center for Mental Health http://www.mentalhealth.org/cmhs/emergencyservices/ * Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) http://www.fema.gov/ * FEMA for Kids http://www.fema.gov/kids/ * Helping Children & Adolescents Cope with Violence & Disasters http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/violence.cfm * National Association of School Psychologists http://www.nasponline.org * National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder http://www.ncptsd.org/what_is_new.html * Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Trauma, Disasters, & Violence http://www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/ptsdmenu.cfm * U.S. Government Information & Resources in Response to September 11th Events http://www.firstgov.gov/featured/usgresponse.html *********************************************** -- Jerry P. Becker Curriculum & Instruction Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901-4610 Phone: (618) 453-4241 [O] (618) 457-8903 [H] Fax: (618) 453-4244 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------- This is the CPS Mathematics Teacher Discussion List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
