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‘What’s best for the students:’ West Zone reps get to work

By MEGHAN BRADBURY - North Fort Myers Neighbor Living magazine | Feb 4, 2023

Sam Fisher with wife Cecilia, son Logan, daughters Annika and Nora. PHOTO PROVIDED

Hurricane Ian has left the Lee County School Board with some big decisions to make.

Its members — veterans, returning and new comers alike — say that together, recovery is not only possible, it’s under way.

“I’m very proud of our community for the way everyone came together,” recently re-elected board member Debbie Jordan, District 4, said. “That strength has helped so much. I’m also very proud of all our principals, teachers, support staff and district leadership for the immense amount of work they did from the time it looked like Ian could impact us, through the storm, the closures, and the reopening. That work continues today and they continue to do amazing things to support our kids and employees.”

The goal for Jordan, whose district is in the West Zone, is to remain focused on what is best for students.

“I will continue to advocate for the learning supports they need to be academically successful and the mental health support they need to meet today’s challenges,” she said. “As long as we put the students first in every decision we make, we will be successful.”

“As long as we put the students first in every decision we make, we will be successful.” - recently re-elected District 4 School Board member Debbie Jordan, pictured with the Honorable John S. Carlin after her swearing in. PHOTO PROVIDED

Since Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sept. 28, causing up to $273 million in damages to school facilities alone, the board has been very careful to make sure it gets all the information they need to make decisions, Jordan said.

“It’s better for us to make the right choice than a fast choice,” she said. “We were able to return every student to a learning environment 23 days after Ian hit. We set up a temporary campus for Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary students before winter break. The Sanibel School may be ready for students to come back to campus as early as January. We were just presented the options for the future of Fort Myers Beach Elementary and we will vote on a path forward early next year. These weren’t, or won’t, be easy choices, but when you ask questions, gather the data, and have the full facts before you, you can effectively do your job.”

As throughout the district, schools in North Fort Myers and Cape Coral sustained roof damage, as well as damage to some classrooms and gyms.

“Hector Cafferata was our most damaged school in this area. In addition, after clearing debris we had some minor repairs, but nothing substantial,” Jordan said.

The delay in opening campuses was due to air quality tests, a requirement put into place by the district.

“It was the right thing to do, and while it slowed the opening across an entire week, we know our staff and students returned to a safe environment. On a personal level, we have school staff and students who lost everything, while others are dealing with significant repairs. We have been supportive of whatever they need to help them recover,” Jordan said.

The biggest impact caused by Hurricane Ian was the closure of schools for three weeks, resulting in the makeup of time the students were faced with when returning back to the classroom.

“I believe our administrators, teachers and students will work together and master the material before the end of the school year,” Jordan said.

When schools were cleared to reopen, staff had the opportunity to go back to school on their own, allowing them to reconnect, seek support and begin planning for students. The students, the following day, had the opportunity to visit their school to see their teachers again.

“The third day, students returned for class and the first order of business was to talk about what everyone had been through and bring each group of students back together again as a family,” Jordan said. “It was also an opportunity to make sure students knew help was available and all they had to do was ask.”

In the aftermath of the hurricane, the district stepped up and helped families that were displaced and impacted by Ian. Assistance included food and supply distributions, including one in which the Miami Dolphins took part. Jordan said they handed out tens of thousands of dollars in supplies at North Fort Myers High School.

“Schools continue to connect families in need to community organizations that can meet their needs. Our school counseling staff went through extra training to prepare for the trauma caused by the hurricane and has been available since schools reopened,” Jordan said.

The district also recently began ResilientLee, a counseling program that includes small group discussions for students.

The district worked with families displaced by the storm, allowing them to enroll their child in a school closer to where they relocated. In addition, the district became lenient on attendance policies, allowing students to return to schools when they were ready, or miss school for important events.

“We continue to be flexible and work with families on an individual basis to support their needs,” Jordan said.

The district also is working with teachers who were impacted. The district began with three days of support the week following Hurricane Ian, providing staff with the opportunity to meet with FEMA and other support in the district headquarters. In addition, there was staff embedded at the Lee County EOC, who were able to expedite staff member requests.

“All employees were paid during the time off, so they didn’t have to worry about a paycheck,” Jordan said.

Attendance was also lenient for employees when they returned to work, as well as remaining flexible for any time they needed to meet with FEMA, insurance adjusters, or contractors.

“We had extra mental health support on campus as they came back to school and have shared with them frequent access to other resources. We needed our staff to come back so it was vital that we helped them find a way to do it,” Jordan said. NFMNL