It’s exhausting both physically and emotionally, but American Federation of Teachers members are trying to make it less so by assisting their students, colleagues and community members affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Then there’s Holland Middle School in Houston, which has welcomed students from a nearby school that suffered extensive damage, as did most of the students’ homes. Public schools in the hurricanes’ paths sheltered millions of evacuees. In Florida, many emergency school shelters were “staffed” by the schools’ teachers, support personnel, nurses, and custodial and cafeteria staff. Through these efforts, we identified members, students and their communities in need of everything from cleanup to groceries to shelter, and helped coordinate volunteer recovery efforts.

Source: Huffington Post September 17, 2017 02:37 UTC