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

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Zurn Elkay Releases 2025 Sustainability Report

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently announced the release of its annual sustainability report, according to a news release. The 2025 report discusses the organization’s efforts to maintain good environmental stewardship and the solutions provided in helping customers meet sustainability goals.