Hurricanes
Lessons Learned:
Changing the
Way We Think
Florida Team:
Lorraine Husum Allen, Florida Department of Education
Paula Shea, Florida Department of Education
Carol Calfee, Santa Rosa Public Schools
State of Florida
Steve Sharp, Escambia Public Schools
Frank Zenere, Miami-Dade Public Schools
Effect on Florida Schools:
Number of Days of School Closings
• 2-5 Days
29 Districts
• 6-10 Days
24 Districts
• 11-15 Days 11 Districts
• 16-21 Days
3 Districts
Florida Department of Education
State Emergency Operations Center
• DOE is a visible partner in
Florida’s EOC
• DOE buddy system links
a single point of contact
with each district
• Provided Mission Tracking/
Problem Solving, such as
Expediting Fuel Deliveries
to Schools Following Frances and Ivan
Florida Department of Education
Emergency Contact Center
Provided Disaster Information to
Students and Staff Statewide, such
as:
• School Closings/Openings
• Created Single Point of Contact
for DOE Officials to Contact
Assigned DOE “Buddies”
Florida Department of Education
Other Florida Department of Education
Disaster-Related Activities
• Protection of DOE Facilities
• Single DOE Point-of-Contact for
Each Impacted Institution or School
District
• Central Review/Verification of Incoming Information to Ensure
Accuracy
• Program-Specific Assistance with Issues Such as Sources of
Food Commodities, Facility Assessments, Mutual Aid, Securing
of Relocatable Classrooms, Health and Safety Questions,
Securing of Bus Drivers, Bus Parts, etc.
Florida Department of Education
Colleges and Universities
Aid to Campuses
Aid to Communities
•State University System Responded with Resources,
Experts and Recovery Teams
•Students, Faculty, and Staff Volunteered Statewide
•University of West Florida Took Direct Hit from Ivan
Campus Closed for over Two Weeks
Florida Department of Education
Florida’s Response:
Hurricane Displaced Students
Evacuees in Florida
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Shelter numbers increased.
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Hotels were at capacity.
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Schools had students coming in to
enroll.
Executive Order
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Toll-Free Hotline for Displaced Students
Immunization Requirement Waiver
Exceptional Students - IEP
In-state Tuition
Class Size Exception
Temporary Teacher Certification
Displaced Students
 60
of 67 Florida Counties received
displaced students from Katrina and
Rita.
 17,
776 Displaced Students were
enrolled in K-12 schools
Displaced Students
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1,461 Students were in Special Education
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1,547 Enrolled in Private Schools
Escambia
Okaloosa
Duval
Bay
Dade
1,875 Students
1,844 Students
1,414 Students
1,413 Students
1,320 Students
Data Conversion
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15-Member FLDOE Team
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Within 2 Weeks – Process was
developed for conversion
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“Crosswalk” for School Districts
developed for use via the Internet.
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Shared with other Agencies.
Appropriate Education Placement
Cost Savings to the State
Human Impact
Hurricane Preparedness, Response
& Recovery:
Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties
Hurricane Ivan ~ September 2004
Tropical Storm Arlene ~ June 2005
Hurricane Dennis ~ August 2005
Santa Rosa School District
Superintendent Johnny Rogers
Milton, Florida
Escambia County School District
Superintendent Jim Paul
Pensacola, Florida
Presented By:
Carol Calfee
Director of Federal Programs
Santa Rosa School District
5086 Canal Street
Milton, FL 32570
calfeec@mail.santarosa.k12.fl.us
850 983 5001
Steven F. Sharp
Division Chief
Security, Safety & Emergency Ops
Escambia School District
51 East Texar Drive
Pensacola , FL 32503
ssharp@escambia.k12.fl.us
850 439 2638
Hurricane Ivan Statistics
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Classified upper category 3 storm
Hurricane force winds for 13 hours: Sustained
wind at 130 mph, with stronger bands
Very slow, very large – 29 hours of storm
conditions
16-foot storm surge 8 miles north of the coast
into bays and bayous
Impact on Utilities
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Electricity
 Portions of communities without power for
months
 Most major power out 2 – 3 weeks
Water
 Water system in majority of Escambia County
out for over a week
 No potable water available for even longer
Sewage
 Main sewage treatment plant serving majority
of Escambia population damaged by storm
surge
 Sewage system inoperable for over a week in
large portion of Escambia
Communications
 Phone, cell phone, fax, e-mail, television,
radio inoperable for extended period
 Local broadcast radio was the first return
Impact on Transportation
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40-foot wave destroyed
I-10 bridge
Other major roads &
bridges closed, isolating
community from rest of
Florida
Hundreds of local roads
clogged with debris and
flood water
School District Impact
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Ivan Damage:
 Santa Rosa- $21 million
 Escambia - $75 million
Dennis Damage:
 Santa Rosa - $3.5 million
 Escambia - $6 million
Debris Removal:
 Escambia Ivan
 31,000 cubic yards, $2.5 million
 Escambia Dennis
 12,483 cubic yards, $981,660
Thousands of students significantly impacted
Hundreds of staff lost homes or suffered severe damage
Lost school days – Ivan:
 Escambia – 19
 Santa Rosa – 17
Lost school days – Dennis:
 Escambia – 4
 Santa Rosa –4
Emergency Operations
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Shelter Operations
Response and relief support
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Public safety operations
Distribution centers, (P.O.D.S.)
Responder staging/housing, i.e. National Guard, power companies, public
safety agencies, church relief organizations, etc.
Professional and technical assistance
Lessons Learned
Response & Initial Recovery
Emergency Operations
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Shelter Operations
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Ensure shelter management team knows what part of facility is designated as
shelter space
MOU with Red Cross with clear understanding of responsibilities and
expectations
Shelter management training for school administration
Specify expectations re: closing and consolidation of shelters to transition
school back to education operation
Have two management teams for each shelter in event of extended
operations
Provide adequate and multiple means of communication with shelters
Maintenance & Facilities Management
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Recalling staff when they had significant damage to their own
homes
Care and feeding of maintenance staff and families
Initial damage assessment - life safety and initial documentation
Extended work hours
24/7 shelter support
Emergency generators
Pre-storm agreements with critical contractors and vendors
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Ensures the schools are on top of their response list
Locks in cost of initial repair work
FEMA guidelines
Lack of contractors, building materials, supplies, increased costs
Getting buildings sealed up and dried out is critical re: mold
remediation and prevention
Food Service
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Establish agency contacts for supporting extended
feeding at shelters and supplying mobile canteens
Salvaging food and supplies – transferring refrigerated
food to available functioning coolers – manpower &
transportation
Disposing of spoiled food – manpower required to
move a lot of supplies
Distribute food before it goes bad
Transportation
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Do not allow drivers to take buses home, have them
parked in central SAFE locations
Assessing fuel supply is critical in relation to assuring
future deliveries
Assess safety and availability of routes prior to
announcing opening of schools
Design alternate routes (for destroyed neighborhoods)
Determine impact of students left homeless or forced
to move because of hurricane damage – FEMA
housing centers
Computerized routing system – no power
Human Resources
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Locating displaced personnel
Tiered recall of critical employees
Determining basic needs of impacted employees – colleague
support system
Modified work schedules
Make-shift phone banks
Long-term modified schedules of employees suffering significant
damage/impact and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Finance
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Cash flow!
Loss of power – no paychecks – run payroll prior to
shut down of system and storm
Alternate plan for distribution of paychecks – regional
paycheck distribution points
Access to remote computer servers
Initial Post Storm Response
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Make decisions based on sustaining life and health –
you can ask for forgiveness later
Determine pre-arranged meeting locations and time for
critical/senior staff
Shelter for critical district staff
Communicating with community
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The community needs information after a major disaster,
everyone has a sense of familiarity with our schools
School resuming is a big step to assuming some sense of
normalcy, “Is football season going to be cancelled?”
Provide limited fuel ration for district staff required to
work in initial recovery efforts
Lessons Learned
Long Term Recovery
Multi-Hazard Planning
2 years later……Improvements!
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Infrastructure Improvements
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Gasoline, contracts, roofs, generators, power lines,
flag poles, ITV towers, vendor disaster plans, prestorm mitigation routines, etc.
Planning Improvements
Advanced planning and coordination
 Pre-disaster agreements with vendors
 Chairs in the EOC
 County Disaster Housing Plan
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Moving on up…
2 years later…improvements
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Collaborations Galore!
Faith-based community
 Long Term Recovery Committees
 Community Emergency Response Teams
 Confidentiality barriers (somewhat) overcome
 Sharing
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Information and resources
 Services
 Resources
 Maximizing funds
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2 years later…Improvements
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Student sensitivity and role in disaster
preparedness and response
Participation in response efforts
 “When the Hurricane Blew”
 Red Cross Project for the elderly
 Donations to Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims!
 Welcoming the evacuees
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RIGOROUS
McKinney-Vento Program
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Community collaboration beyond just homeless
network
McKinney Vento Rights
Mental Health & Academic Needs
Confidentiality Barriers
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Upcoming publication:
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A McKinney-Vento Toolbox: Constructing a Robust and Rigorous
McKinney-Vento Program, In Case of Disaster and Every Day (NAEHCY)
Continuing Issues
and Unexpected Results
Population of students
 Increase in immigrant population
 Personnel Shortages
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 Bus
drivers
 Teachers
 Contractors
Impact on Housing
 23,196
housing units damaged or destroyed
(46.9% of county’s housing stock)
1
in 5 apartment units
 879 multi-family homes
 3,409 mobile homes
 3,254 homes destroyed or
uninhabitable
Long Term Recovery/Risk
Management
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Coverage that is broad, multi-company!
Adjustors survey dozens of schools in short time period
Request advance in funds to start repairs – school board
involvement
Flood insurance on high risk schools (collaboration with
Mitigation planning)
Documentation
Continuing Issues
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Financial Loss
Local projects on hold
 Hidden expenses (i.e., replacing ESE equipment)
 FEMA paperwork – time and personnel strain
 FEMA audit
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Mental health
Students
 Adult “Compassion Fatigue”
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Lessons Learned
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Be prepared to think outside the box, as it will either
float away with the storm surge or was blown into the
next county
Make a decision… it’s about survival
School systems ARE critical first responders!
A strong relationship with local and state public safety
officials is critical
Institute geographic response plan triggers,
(latitude/longitude), instead of time-based
Community-wide disasters change all of the rules – new
“normal” - and may be indicative of terrorism activities.
Early dismissal of schools may have saved lives!
Lessons Learned
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Back-up POWER systems should be installed for all
“core” functions – data processing, food service,
maintenance, central office, and schools designated as
shelters.
Communications: multi-layered planning is critical.
Planning needs to include biggest picture over longest
time for all 4 phases (prevention, preparedness,
response, and recovery).
Schools are a critical part of the community’s
infrastructure. A return to normal for the school district
indicates a return to normal for the community.
Balancing the decision to quickly open schools is
difficult when you are dealing with the safety, security
and mental health of students and staff.
Lessons Learned
Trying to Reason
with Hurricane
Season
Florida Hurricanes:
Lessons for the Future!
Presented by:
Frank Zenere, Ed.S.
School Psychologist
Miami-Dade Public Schools
FLORIDA HURRICANES:
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
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Historical view
Seven hurricanes and two
tropical storms over last
two year period
Impact of multiple storm
experiences
FLORIDA HURRICANES:
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
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Raise student awareness of potential disasters
Provide disaster preparation and mitigation
education for students and families
Develop inter-district and inter-agency
agreements that foster sharing of human and
material resources
FLORIDA HURRICANES:
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
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Provide training for school mental health professionals
and instructional staff that will assist post-disaster
student coping and recovery
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Develop academic enrichment activities for student use
during periods of school closure (Emergency Youth
Education Plan)
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Utilize instructional personnel in determining the postdisaster status of students and families
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Conduct student/family/staff needs assessment
FLORIDA HURRICANES:
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
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Assess student and family needs in school-based shelters
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A school district representative should be present at all
FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers to provide
information
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Utilize auditory/visual media to provide parents with
guidance in assisting post-disaster recovery and coping of
children and youth
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Utilize school mental health professionals as consultants,
advocates, trainers and interventionists
FLORIDA HURRICANES:
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
TIPS FOR TEACHERS
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Remain calm and reassuring
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Acknowledge and normalize feelings and reactions
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Provide opportunities for children to share their
concerns
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Promote and praise positive coping and problem
solving skills
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Involve children in recovery-oriented activities and
projects
Lazarus, Jimerson and Brock, 2003
FLORIDA HURRICANES:
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
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For displaced children, investigate resources to allow a
return to activities they previously enjoyed.
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Talk to displaced children about how they would like to
handle questions from new friends about their
hurricane experience.
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Displaced adolescents may want to reconnect with
extracurricular activities (sports, dance, band, etc.).
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College bound students may have some special
concerns following relocation.
University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, 2005
FLORIDA HURRICANES:
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
Tips for Counseling Professionals:
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Utilize psychological first aid principles
Provide individual, group and classroom
interventions
Create a drop-in counseling center
Make connections/referrals with communitybased mental health resources
Be sensitive to emerging and longitudinal
reactions that require attention
Sharing Information
Steve Sharp and Paula Shea
Escambia Education
Recovery Team
Steve Sharp, Escambia County Schools
The School District of Escambia County, Florida
Jim Paul, Superintendent of Schools
EERT TEAM
COMPOSITION
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Team Leader
Risk Management, Insurance &
FEMA Coordination
Curriculum & Instruction - Adaptive
Education Options Specialist
FEMA Liaison, FEMA Guidelines
and Project Worksheet Expert
Curriculum & Instruction - Adaptive
Education Options Specialist
Emergency Management, Security,
Safety, Shelter Operations,
Paramedic
Maintenance & Facilities Coordination –
Recovery Contractor Expert
Transportation – Vehicle Recovery and
Student Transportation Expert
Information Technology/
Communications – Network and
Communications Systems Recovery
Expert
Food Service Specialist, USDA Expert
Finance, Payroll, Recovery Accounting
Psychological Services – Staff & Student
Reintroduction
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT EERT
ASSISTED IN 2005-2006
Mississippi:
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Moss Point
St. George
Hattiesburg Public
Petal
Pass Christian
Gulfport
Green County
George County
Lamar
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Biloxi Public
Long Beach
Bay St. Louis
Hancock
Harrison
Jackson Co
St. Martin
Ocean Springs
Pascagoula
Poplarville
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Orleans Parish, La.
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St. Bernard Parish, La.
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Louisiana:
The Escambia Educational Recovery Team
is dedicated to the recovery and preservation of
educational processes disrupted by disasters
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
The EERT is a fully self-contained
team complete with all essential
logistics and support equipment. The
team can operate independent of the
affected area agencies so as not to
burden those in need of our assistance.
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
EERT SUPPORT
VEHICLES
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
EERT SERVICES
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On-Scene Recovery Consultation
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Pre-event Preparedness and Technical
Assistance
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Post-event Technical Assistance
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Crisis Management/Mitigation Workshops
On-Scene
Recovery Consultation
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Facility Recovery
Education Process Impact Assessment and Recovery
Student/Staff Psychological Services
Operations Recovery
Organizational Communication (Pre and Post Event)
Shelter and Inter-Agency Management (EOC, Red
Cross)
Financial Recovery (Insurance & FEMA)
Documentation and Recovery Agency Coordination
Adaptive Education Alternatives (Tent and Modular
Schools)
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Facility Recovery
High Water
Mark
Shifted
Structure
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Education Process Impact Assessment and Recovery
“This Team Is A Godsend – Thank you!”
- Kim Stasny, Superintendent: Bay St. Louis School District
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Financial Recovery (Insurance & FEMA)
Organizational Communication (Pre and Post Event)
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
WE CAN BE A RESOURCE
WHEN IT’S
OVERWHELMING AND
YOU’RE NOT SURE
WHERE TO START
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Water Line at Gorenflo
Elementary in Biloxi.
Six feet of
water
throughout the
entire school.
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
A message
from a
principal to
one of his
teachers.
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Nichols Elementary
School in Biloxi
10 foot water line in every room
of the school
The school Media Center had about a foot of
mud mixed with the remaining books.
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Pass Christian – 4 of 5 Schools Totally Destroyed
Student/Staff Psychological Services
Long Beach, Mississippi – Estimated 30+ Foot
Wall of Water Gutted Schools
“Communities don’t truly begin to
recover from disasters until
students are back in school.”
- Florida Governor Jeb Bush in the
aftermath of Hurricane Ivan
“Recovering communities need to
feel a sense of normalcy returning
– re-opening schools is often the
first step back.”
- John Winn,
Florida Commissioner of Education
Operations Recovery
Documentation and Recovery Agency Coordination
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Re-Opening Schools Can Restore
Community Spirit
E.E.R.T. Web Site
www.escambia.k12.fl.us/eert/
Escambia Educational Recovery Team
Restoring The
Education Process
Hope
Questions?
Florida Team Contact Information
Lorraine Husum Allen
Director, Office of Safe Schools
Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines St., Room 501
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: 850-245-0668
E-Mail: Lorraine.Allen@fldoe.org
Carol Calfee
Director of Federal Programs
Santa Rosa School District
5086 Canal St., Milton, FL 32570
Phone: 850-983-5001
E-Mail: calfeec@mail.santarosa.k12.fl.us
Steven F. Sharp
Division Chief
Security, Safety & Emergency Ops
Escambia School District
51 East Texar Drive, Pensacola , FL 32503
Phone: 850-439-2638
E-Mail: ssharp@escambia.k12.fl.us
Paula Shea
Emergency Management and
Domestic Security Liaison
Commissioner's Office
Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines Street, Room
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: 850-245-5072
E-Mail: Paula.Shea@fldoe.org
Frank Zenere
School Psychologist
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Division of Student/Career Services
1500 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 341
Miami, Florida 33132
Phone: 305-995-7319
E-Mail: FZenere@dadeschools.net