Through all our community has endured this week, I remain so encouraged by the generosity of neighbors both near and far. It’s been a great reminder of the power a neighborhood brings to each member as well as a testament to the spirit of Houston.
I wanted to offer an update to our community as so much has happened in the past few days. As you are hopefully aware, the plan is for our students to start school Monday, September 11. All my conversations with the district have been focused on the idea that we will be able to welcome back all of our students – there is no plan to send anyone to another campus. Please don’t allow that distraction to remain. Additionally, Bellaire HS is a large community and our family of nearly 4000 (students, faculty, and staff) has required great coordination of resources and a continued focus on providing clear and accurate information. That commitment has not wavered.
In this message, you will find information around three big topics.
We know that recovery will be a marathon and not a sprint. We wanted to take this opportunity to begin to assess the needs of our students, their families, as well as our faculty and staff. Please use the link here https://form.jotformpro.com/72435740746965 to complete a brief needs assessment. If you have more than one child at Bellaire, we ask that you complete the form for each of them. That will help us align our resources so that no one is missed. Faculty or staff, we are also asking that you complete this short form so that we can support your recovery as well https://form.jotformpro.com/72444762184965
The needs identified both now and once school begins will require donations – both in the form of dollars and/or manpower. So many of you have already reached out asking how to support Bellaire as it begins the path back, and I ask, for those able, to consider either or both of the following:
The Houston ISD has asked that you consider donating to the HISD Foundation http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/164281 . It is my understanding that you can earmark your donation to any school you wish.
Through the leadership of our PTO Executive Board, our Bellaire PTO has also established a means for you to directly contribute to Bellaire High School. You can access that link here www.bellairepto.org
The state of our building is better than anticipated. There was not any substantial water intrusion and large shared spaces appear to be in decent condition. There is lots of cleanup needed, and I know many of you have offered to come and sweep, mop, empty, fill, clean and simply help. And I want to allow you to do that. However our biggest challenge right now are a couple of significant power issues. Two-thirds of the building does not have power yet, and thus we have not been able to restore AC. In turn that has delayed both HISD & FEMA from verifying air quality throughout the building. And thus we are not able to access it resulting in our remaining in a holding pattern. They have told me that they expect us to be able to enter by this Tuesday, September 5. Once we have access and can determine the next steps, then we will issue the green light and welcome anyone interested. I sincerely appreciate your concern and patience. Safety must come first.
As we move into next week and continue to learn more about the needs of our Bellaire community, I intend to offer another update by midday Friday (9/8). I hope that you will each continue to find ways to support each other. Whether it’s through ripping up drywall to washing clothes; dropping off fresh cookies or a few bottles of water; simply listening as someone shares their experience or driving them to get some groceries; there is always something that can be done. And in my more than 20 years serving this community, I have never known anyone to shy away from the labor of sharing love. In fact, we rely upon it each day.
Thanks,
Michael
