A chance for youth to return to routine

Sept. 8, 2005, 3:08PM


Carlos Antonio Rios / Chronicle
Teen-age hurricane evacuees get on a bus to Jones High School today at Reliant Center.

A chance for youth to return to routine
Evacuee parents enroll hundreds in HISD, where students will begin classes today
By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
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Dozens of children lined up outside Reliant Center this morning to board school buses heading for Douglass Elementary and Jones High schools.

 They were among the 445 students from the main shelters who registered for school in the Houston Independent School District during Wednesday's big enrollment push.

"Is that our bus yet? I want to go to school now," said Reginald Williams, 7.



Even as the children lined up to board buses, however, hundreds of Hurricane Katrina evacuees, including many school-aged children, lined up to register for debit cards, prompting some to question the priorities of parents who put their children in the line for money instead of the line for school.  

 "The children are more important," said Winston Harrison, who was taking his young son Winston Jr. to school.

The first day of school comes as a welcome change for many of the parents and children who have spent nearly two weeks fleeing Hurricane Katrina's wake and sleeping in area shelters.

Parents said they don't want their children to fall behind academically.

"All they're doing here is running from one end of the hall to another. Enough is enough," said Reliant Center resident Cynthia Hampton, 56, who signed up nine grandchildren for school Wednesday. "They need new surroundings."

Evacuee enrollment in the state's largest school district is expected to increase this week, as HISD's enrollment push continues through Friday at the Reliant Park complex and the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Children colored pictures as their parents filled out yellow, green and pink forms. Dozens of volunteers, registrars, counselors and health experts were on hand to guide them through the process.

Wednesday's enrollment session brings HISD's count for evacuated students to more than 1,885. District leaders said they have 14,000 available seats.

"We're taking in the equivalent of another school district," HISD trustee Kevin Hoffman said.

Most of the younger students will be sent to Douglass and Ryan elementary schools, which are being reopened today for the Katrina survivors.

Other elementary students could be placed at Dodson, McDade, Frost and Anson Jones, if needed. Middle school students could attend Fleming, Fondren, Black and Holland, while high schoolers may be placed at Jones, Kashmere, Barbara Jordan, Sterling and Scarborough.

District leaders are hoping state and federal governments will help offset the $60 million it could cost to educate as many as 10,000 evacuated students for the entire year. The actual enrollment and cost could be less. Right now, district employees said they are just happy to help.

"Words can't describe how I feel in being able to help our neighbors get back into a normal routine," Hoffman said.

U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said school districts such as Houston can expect some financial aid, but she offered few specifics. "We're trying to figure out ... how best to do that," she said. "We're working on it."

Returning to class is an important step in helping the children put their lives back together, volunteers said.

"The thing is just to put some normalcy in their life," said Cathe Phipps, a Texas Baptist Men volunteer from Dallas. "I have seen children who are very excited about going back to school. They're ready."

Suburban districts in Harris County have taken in roughly 6,900 evacuated students, including 1,148 in Cypress-Fairbanks, 811 in Alief, 404 in Klein and 900 in Katy. Educators said they are trying to make sure the children have the clothes, supplies and emotional support they need. Many students escaped the storm with just the clothes they were wearing.

They've since survived even more trauma.

"We didn't come with anything because we were stuck in an attic," explained Terryanna Durel, a 9-year-old who registered Wednesday. "We got in a boat and went to the Superdome. I didn't like it there. They were raping and killing people. I'm just glad I came out safe."

Terryanna said she misses her friends, bike, television and favorite clothes. But the girl, who hopes to be a nurse, is excited about going to school in Houston.

"New Orleans is a small town. This is like a city right here," she said.

Of course, her view of Houston has been limited to the Reliant Center complex.

"Do they have houses in Houston?" she asked. "Big ones?"

Her little sister quickly added: "Do they have stores?"

Adrian Peters, 17, said it may be hard to keep his mind off what he's been through in the past week and a half.

"I'm going to think about all this for a long time," said Peters, who made his way to the Superdome through deep water.

"I'm ready to start going to school. I'm tired."

Reliant resident Raymond Warner, 17, said he's anxious to see the campus, students and teachers today at Jones High School.

He hopes to try out as a wide receiver on the school's football team.

"It's new. I've never been to Houston before," said Warner, a senior. "Hopefully they'll treat me the same way as everyone else."

After being separated from her three children for a week, 22-year-old Rebecca Soloman said it'll be a little tough to send her 4-year-old daughter, Kariell, off to prekindergarten.

"We didn't know where they were," said Soloman, whose children were rescued by the Coast Guard. "I promise I will never let them split us up again."

Other families found the registration process frustrating.

"I got down here at 7:45 a.m. Now, I have to wait on a phone call," said Veronica Bowman, who moved out of the Astrodome on Tuesday and was having trouble enrolling her three sons. She wasn't sure how she is supposed to transport her children to Longfellow Elementary, the closest school to their new apartment.

"They're just sitting around doing nothing. They need to be in school," she said.

jennifer.radcliffe@chron.com

This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3344350