School Disaster & Response Resources

Ground your district response in core McKinney-Vento requirements so identification, enrollment, and supports remain compliant during recovery.

1. Alaska McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Hub Statutory requirements, identification tools, and subgrant details tailored to Alaska districts.
2. School District Responsibilities Summary Plain-language checklist of liaison duties, immediate enrollment expectations, and required transportation supports during displacement.
3. McKinney-Vento Program Spending Handbook (PDF, 32 pages) Allowable cost guidance with Alaska examples for emergency shelter, transportation, clothing, and academic support purchases.
4. Alaska PG-701 Delegation of Powers Form (PDF) Allows displaced parents or guardians to authorize a trusted adult to make educational decisions for up to six months without a court order.

Direct liaisons and partners to disaster-specific tools that accelerate service coordination for students who lose housing during an incident.

1. Homeless Liaison LiveBinder — Disaster Response Resources Open the Disaster Response Resources tab for curated liaison tools, templates, and response checklists.
2. NCHE Disaster Preparation and Response Download forms, briefs, and training materials focused on disaster recovery for students experiencing homelessness.
3. SchoolHouse Connection — Resources to Support Children and Youth Displaced by Disasters Find disaster-specific talking points, family flyers, policy updates, and liaison guidance.
4. Supporting Children and Youth Displaced by Disasters: Five Key Policies for Schools Summarizes the policy actions districts should prioritize immediately after a disaster.
5. SchoolHouse Connection State Policy Updates Monitor state-level policy shifts that affect housing-insecure students and district compliance.
6. NCHE District Liaison Toolkit Downloadable identification checklists, enrollment forms, and training decks for community partners.
7. National Association for Education of Homeless Children and Youth Professional network with webinars, conference materials, and advocacy templates to support liaison work.

Help teachers re-establish routines while sustaining the adults who keep classrooms running. Share these tools during staff briefings and professional learning.

1. Helping Youth after a Community Trauma: Tips for Educators (PDF, 2 pages) Lists common reactions educators might see in the students with whom they work and suggestions on how they may help after community trauma. This tip sheet describes how traumatic events, such as a natural disaster, school violence, or the traumatic death of a peer or educator, can affect students' learning, behavior, and relationships.
2. Teacher Guidelines for Helping Students After a Hurricane (PDF, 4 pages) Step-by-step guidance for the first week back, including flexible grading practices, routines, and when to escalate concerns to counselors.
3. Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event Developmental reference sheet so teachers can differentiate expected post-disaster behavior from warning signs that require intervention.
4. Creating Supportive Environments: When Scary Things Happen (PDF, 2 pages) Classroom setup checklist covering visual schedules, calm corners, and family partnerships that reduce student anxiety.
5. Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen Offers guidance on talking with children and youth when scary things happen. This fact sheet includes information on checking in with yourself, clarifying your goal, providing information, reflecting, asking helpful questions, going slow, labeling emotions, validating, and reducing media exposure.

Partner with caregivers to maintain enrollment, communication, and wellbeing as households recover.

1. Childhood Traumatic Separation: Youth Information Sheet Provides information for youth about separation distress, when separation can be traumatic for children and youth, traumatic reactions to separation, and what to do to feel better.
2. Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents (PDF, 4 pages) Offers activity ideas to parents and caregivers whose families are sheltering in place, evacuating their homes, or social distancing due to any type of disaster or event.
3. Parent Guidelines for Helping Children after a Hurricane Offers parents guidance on helping their children after a hurricane. This fact sheet describes common reactions children may have after a hurricane, what to do to help, and self-care tips for parents.
4. Parent Tips for Helping School-Age Children A handout from Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (PFA). This handout provides parents with common reactions after a disaster, ways to respond to those reactions, and examples of things you can say to your school-age child.
5. Parent Tips for Helping Adolescents A handout from Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (PFA). This handout provides parents with common reactions after a disaster, ways to respond to those reactions, and examples of things you can say to your adolescent.
6. After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal Offers tips to parents on how to help young children, toddlers, and preschoolers heal after a traumatic event.

Stabilize buildings and grounds before reopening by coordinating cleanup, inspections, and state support.

1. Clean Up Safely After a Disaster (CDC guide) Required PPE, ventilation practices, and generator safety to prevent injuries during debris removal and building cleanup.
2. Reentering Flooded Buildings Checklist (CDC guide) Pre-entry structural checks, gas leak detection steps, and water testing protocols tailored for facility teams.
3. Build a multidisciplinary damage assessment team Include maintenance supervisors, principals, school nurses, and local building officials to document damage before repairs begin.
4. DEED School Safety & Emergency Management Statewide emergency operations templates, hazard annexes, crisis communication samples, and state liaison contacts to coordinate rebuilding.

Align grants, reimbursements, and documentation so recovery dollars flow without delays.

1. Project SERV — See the links above for detailed information.
2. FEMA Public Assistance Education Fact Sheet Request from your FEMA program delivery manager to confirm reimbursable protective measures, documentation requirements, and timelines before repairs begin.
3. Maintain parallel documentation streams Track expenses separately for insurance claims, FEMA Public Assistance, USDA meal waivers, and Project SERV to avoid duplication and audit delays.
4. Integrate lessons into capital planning Use recovery data to prioritize generators, roof reinforcement, communication backups, and transportation fleet hardening in the district's long-range plan.
5. Review the FEMA Disaster 4893 Designated Areas list in Key Resources and Details Confirm your community's eligibility, reimbursement cost-share, and Request for Public Assistance deadlines before filing.