Houston ISD Re-Opens 2 Schools For Evacuees

HOUSTON (AP) – Two schools in Houston that opened exclusively for Hurricane Katrina’s evacuee children held their first classes Thursday. The Texas Education Agency says overall, almost 19,000 children displaced by the hurricane have enrolled in Texas public schools.

Most districts in refugee states are absorbing Katrina’s child survivors into their already crowded public schools and awaiting state and federal reimbursement. But the Houston school district, with nearly 2000 new children to educate and the school year already in its third week, absorbed many.

Houston reopened two schools that closed last spring due to low enrollment and devoted them entirely to refugee children. They are Frederick Douglass Elementary and J.D. Ryan Elementary.

Also, the Texas Department of State Health Services is temporarily waiving normal immunization requirements for hurricane-displaced children to attend school or child-care facilities.

Students who will be staying with family members, friends or others in Texas will be given a 30-day provisional enrollment.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-09-08-05 1900EDT