Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Education Department Activates Emergency Response Contact Center

  • 08/29/17

Washington, D.C.– The U.S. Department of Education today activated its emergency response contact center in response to the devastating impacts of Hurricane Harvey. The Department’s K-12 and Higher Education stakeholders who are seeking informational resources as well as those seeking relief from Department-based administrative requirements should contact the Department toll free at 1-844-348-4082 or by email at [email protected].

The Department of Education’s primary role in natural disasters is to assist school districts and institutions of higher education in their recovery efforts. In addition to internal agency briefings, the Department is participating in daily interagency briefings led by the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA in order to understand the extent of the damage to educational infrastructure and the needs of its education stakeholders in the wake of Harvey. The Department's interagency work will inform and enhance the resources and relief that it will make available to school districts and institutions of higher education as the recovery work begins. In addition to its Federal partners, the Department has reached out to the Texas Education Agency, the Louisiana Department of Education and institutions of higher learning in the impacted areas and will be coordinating its recovery activities through these agencies and institutions. The full extent of the Hurricane’s impact will not be known for some time but we will stay in close contact with our partners. Last week, the Department began contacting more than 200 colleges and universities located in areas likely impacted by Harvey and will provide administrative flexibilities related to federal student aid rules. The Department has also directed federal student loan servicers to provide impacted borrowers flexibility in managing their loan payments during this time. Borrowers can contact their student loan servicer for more information or call 1-800-4FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) to find out their servicer’s contact information.

Featured

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.