October 15, 2024 • 12 mins
Classes are resuming at a Clearwater elementary school where many of the children are left homeless by flooding during Hurricane Milton. We speak with Eisenhower Elementary principal Tijuana Baker.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here beyond the News. With school coming back
in Penelas County for the first time since Hurricane Milton,
one school has been particularly challenged in dealing with the
challenges facing its students and their families. We have te
Wanta Baker on the line with us. She is the
principal at Eisenhower Elementary School in Clearwater and they've been
(00:23):
dealing with a unique set of challenges. We're going to
talk about how she and the families and the district
are dealing with those difficulties. To want a Baker Principal Baker.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome, Thank you, Gordon.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Well, you've got a unique set of challenges involving a
number of families. Your school is located in Clearwater and
a number of those families have been forced to relocate
because of Hurricane Milton. Tell us what's been going on there.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Absolutely, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
And first i I'll share everyone never expected just an
amount of rain and when that came with the storm,
and so I first started to hear about what was
going on with our students at Eisenhower. And we have
about one hundred students that reside at the standard apartments,
(01:13):
and so I began to get messages from staff members
and pictures about what they're seeing. Many of my staff
members they live in the neighborhood near the school, and
like many, I didn't have internet, and so I couldn't
open the pictures right away. And when I opened the
pictures and videos, I knew this was just so devastating
when I saw our families being rescued by the amazing
(01:35):
first responders from Clive Water PD and the high with
the high water rescue that was going on, and I
just knew this was going to call for a major
response from our community as well as our school. And
so on Friday, I got a call from a staff
member reporting that the families were outside, just outside of
(01:59):
their units across the street at Best Buy. Not knowing
what to do after going through such a traumatic experience,
and my staff, various staff members rallied and we collected
the money and ran to the store staff members and
made sandwiches. The first group of staff members made a
(02:20):
hundred sandwiches and record speed and took it out to
the families and began to just comfort them in any
way they could, not knowing that another group of staff
members were working and gathering to respond to the need
as well. And that was on Friday, and beyond that Saturday,
more staff members showed up and then community members showed
(02:42):
up with basic needs, food, water, garbage bags for the
families that were allowed to go in their unit to
bag up what they could salvage and just provide hugs
and just that comfort that many families needed and seeing
the familiar faces from our school staff and community, and
it just grew to a very large, just human moment
(03:06):
of community coming together to respond to the families the need.
And we're particularly invested in our Eisenhower students and families,
and we wanted to be a familiar faith for our
students that were impacted by this devastating flood.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
So you're helping these dozens of families who are living
at this one apartment complex that is in your attendance
area who were flooded out of their homes and at
this point school's going to be opening. We're speaking hours
before school reopens again on Wednesday. Many of these people
have many of these families have relocated, So you have
(03:42):
a lot of your student body that is scattered all around,
and how is that going to make the How is
that going to make the challenge of reopening school a
little bit different for you.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Absolutely, it's a challenge, but I'll tell you, Gordon, we
have a group of just dedicated open heart here at
our school and partners that are helping.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Us with this.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
So I'll let you know that we know which students
were impacted from Eisenhower, and we began a few days
ago working on on Sunday gathering our lists of students impacted.
We've worked on a spreadsheet with a team effort. Literally
all day, we've sat and we have been assessing our
student needs. Staff members that have made contact with families.
(04:26):
We're making calls to find out where our students are,
and we are prepared for our students.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
We'll have a team of staff members available to continue
that assessment of needs, find out where our students are,
if they are staying in a shelter, if they're staying
with a relative, or they're still just out sleeping in
their car. Unfortunately, there are some family members in that situation,
and so we have gathered that information and we'll continue
(04:55):
to work on that tomorrow and provide those resources. But
connecting our family to just ways to get their basic
needs met. It's been an effort with community partnerships and stakeholders,
various staff members. So Calvary Church and our school has
been a standing partner, but they have definitely stood up
strong and supported and carried Eisenhower and our families. So
(05:19):
they've been a huge support and resource. Feeding Tampa Bay
is a standing partnership, but they've increased their presence and
providing food for our families. Hispanic Outreach, we've had the
Penela's County Human Service Department directly working with me, JWB
and so many others. So tomorrow, when our students come,
we will have Calvary Church, one of our biggest partners,
(05:42):
present with stuffed animals to give to all of our
students to help bring them joy to our students as
they come back. We have hot meals for our students. Luckily,
our school didn't lose power that long and we were
able to get our food restored. And we're going to
have a day of just bringing our kids back to school.
(06:03):
Because school is like a second home to a lot
of kids, and because there are some of their homes
totally gone, they lost everything. This will be their sense
of belonging for them to return back to school. My
staff is ready to receive them and create that just
normalcy for them at school, and we'll have resources available
for the parents and families that are still in need
(06:26):
during this crisis. So we are prepared to receive them
and anybody not returning, we have a process for finding
out where they're going to connect them to resources, maybe
at another school in our county or in a different county.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Now as I understand it, a couple of churches have
stepped up as well, and they're providing shelters for many
of these families and what other resources. If someone in
the community is hearing about this, maybe for the first time,
about the situation with the apartment complex and clear Water
and with your student's family, what avenues are available for
(07:02):
them to step forward and help out.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Absolutely, we with our district we have we're fortunate to
have an amazing education foundation, So ways for community to help.
They can donate to Eisenhower directly through the panelist Education
dot org. So they can go to panelis Education dot
org and there's links there to make contributions and donate
(07:27):
to our schools, specifically Eisenhower. If that's what the community
is seeking to do, and we are just so grateful
for the just outpouring of support. So Panels Education dot
Org is where they can donate. We're working closely with
the Hispanic Outreach Center in Clearwater. They are also available
(07:48):
to support our community and our families that are in need.
We work with the JWB Foundation, but really Panelist Education
Foundation where we would guide anyone wanting to help our school.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Are there any are there special challenges that with this
particular population are the people for whom, for example, people
for whom English is not their first language, among the parents,
and trying to navigate the whole system of getting aid
and assistance and support during this time.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Absolutely, and we have staff available to help our families
year round, but especially during this crisis. We are ready
with our bilingual staff members at school. Tomorrow, We've planned
and we're ready to assist our families shortly. Here I'll
be recording a message to go out to our families
(08:44):
in English and in Spanish to make sure they're aware
of all the resources available, and we'll be distributing that
information as well tomorrow to our families that are still
in need. So we are prepared and we have resources,
staff and we have various district staff members that will
be on campus to help us out tomorrow. So we're
(09:06):
just grateful for the support that we have. And yet
many of our families, they do have challenges with transportation
getting to the resources, and so we're working to ensure
our students that are displaced they have a bus to
school if they're displaced, which many of them are. So
(09:29):
we have a lot of resources right here within our
district that we are utilizing as well as our partners
in the community.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
When you see your students back in class for the
first time tomorrow, what's the message you're going to hopefully
give them and you and the instructors on their first
day back.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Absolutely, So we've met with the staff already and plan
to receive our students and Gordon, you know, when you
go through crisis and trauma, our student it's their basic needs.
We're focused on the basic needs just to ensure that
our students are fed, you know, and they have shelter
here at school during the day, those basic needs. But
(10:12):
one of those basic needs that I like to highlight,
I classify it as a basic need since a belonging.
So we're going to focus there, Eisenhower, just to ensure
that our students know that they are safe, keep them
healthy here with a nice meal, and just assess their
overall wellbeing. With students and children, sometimes you don't always
(10:35):
know how they're feeling. They're very resilient, but this is
a very traumatic experience that our kids have gone through.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
So our student services.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Our school counselor, our psychologists, and our social worker are
ready to assist. And it's unique here because these same
staff members they were there with our families, helping them
clean out what they could get out of their apartments,
giving them back. They've literally helped them pack their apartments,
(11:04):
help them remove their pets from the apartments, and so
Eisenhower's a special place. So the kids will be coming
back tomorrow, but our staff we've already been there out
where they were, and so we'll just continue that connection
in that sense of belonging here at Eisenhower.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
We literally just had an interview yesterday with a child
psychologist talking about the impacts of hurricanes on children and teenagers,
and so this is obviously something that they are really
that you're rallying together to deal with and once again
to let everybody know if they want to help you
(11:45):
and help the families at Eisenhower Elementary, they may make
a contribution to the Panela's Education Foundation.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yes, absolutely all.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Right, Tuanna Baker, she is the principal at Eisenhower Elementary
and clear Water and really rallying together as a family
to deal with this situation in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
Thank you very much for your time on Beyond the News.
Gordon Bird here beyond the News. With school coming back
in Penelas County for the first time since Hurricane Milton,
one school has been particularly challenged in dealing with the
challenges facing its students and their families. We have te
Wanta Baker on the line with us. She is the
principal at Eisenhower Elementary School in Clearwater and they've been
(00:23):
dealing with a unique set of challenges. We're going to
talk about how she and the families and the district
are dealing with those difficulties. To want a Baker Principal Baker.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome, Thank you, Gordon.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Well, you've got a unique set of challenges involving a
number of families. Your school is located in Clearwater and
a number of those families have been forced to relocate
because of Hurricane Milton. Tell us what's been going on there.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Absolutely, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
And first i I'll share everyone never expected just an
amount of rain and when that came with the storm,
and so I first started to hear about what was
going on with our students at Eisenhower. And we have
about one hundred students that reside at the standard apartments,
(01:13):
and so I began to get messages from staff members
and pictures about what they're seeing. Many of my staff
members they live in the neighborhood near the school, and
like many, I didn't have internet, and so I couldn't
open the pictures right away. And when I opened the
pictures and videos, I knew this was just so devastating
when I saw our families being rescued by the amazing
(01:35):
first responders from Clive Water PD and the high with
the high water rescue that was going on, and I
just knew this was going to call for a major
response from our community as well as our school. And
so on Friday, I got a call from a staff
member reporting that the families were outside, just outside of
(01:59):
their units across the street at Best Buy. Not knowing
what to do after going through such a traumatic experience,
and my staff, various staff members rallied and we collected
the money and ran to the store staff members and
made sandwiches. The first group of staff members made a
(02:20):
hundred sandwiches and record speed and took it out to
the families and began to just comfort them in any
way they could, not knowing that another group of staff
members were working and gathering to respond to the need
as well. And that was on Friday, and beyond that Saturday,
more staff members showed up and then community members showed
(02:42):
up with basic needs, food, water, garbage bags for the
families that were allowed to go in their unit to
bag up what they could salvage and just provide hugs
and just that comfort that many families needed and seeing
the familiar faces from our school staff and community, and
it just grew to a very large, just human moment
(03:06):
of community coming together to respond to the families the need.
And we're particularly invested in our Eisenhower students and families,
and we wanted to be a familiar faith for our
students that were impacted by this devastating flood.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
So you're helping these dozens of families who are living
at this one apartment complex that is in your attendance
area who were flooded out of their homes and at
this point school's going to be opening. We're speaking hours
before school reopens again on Wednesday. Many of these people
have many of these families have relocated, So you have
(03:42):
a lot of your student body that is scattered all around,
and how is that going to make the How is
that going to make the challenge of reopening school a
little bit different for you.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Absolutely, it's a challenge, but I'll tell you, Gordon, we
have a group of just dedicated open heart here at
our school and partners that are helping.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Us with this.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
So I'll let you know that we know which students
were impacted from Eisenhower, and we began a few days
ago working on on Sunday gathering our lists of students impacted.
We've worked on a spreadsheet with a team effort. Literally
all day, we've sat and we have been assessing our
student needs. Staff members that have made contact with families.
(04:26):
We're making calls to find out where our students are,
and we are prepared for our students.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
We'll have a team of staff members available to continue
that assessment of needs, find out where our students are,
if they are staying in a shelter, if they're staying
with a relative, or they're still just out sleeping in
their car. Unfortunately, there are some family members in that situation,
and so we have gathered that information and we'll continue
(04:55):
to work on that tomorrow and provide those resources. But
connecting our family to just ways to get their basic
needs met. It's been an effort with community partnerships and stakeholders,
various staff members. So Calvary Church and our school has
been a standing partner, but they have definitely stood up
strong and supported and carried Eisenhower and our families. So
(05:19):
they've been a huge support and resource. Feeding Tampa Bay
is a standing partnership, but they've increased their presence and
providing food for our families. Hispanic Outreach, we've had the
Penela's County Human Service Department directly working with me, JWB
and so many others. So tomorrow, when our students come,
we will have Calvary Church, one of our biggest partners,
(05:42):
present with stuffed animals to give to all of our
students to help bring them joy to our students as
they come back. We have hot meals for our students. Luckily,
our school didn't lose power that long and we were
able to get our food restored. And we're going to
have a day of just bringing our kids back to school.
(06:03):
Because school is like a second home to a lot
of kids, and because there are some of their homes
totally gone, they lost everything. This will be their sense
of belonging for them to return back to school. My
staff is ready to receive them and create that just
normalcy for them at school, and we'll have resources available
for the parents and families that are still in need
(06:26):
during this crisis. So we are prepared to receive them
and anybody not returning, we have a process for finding
out where they're going to connect them to resources, maybe
at another school in our county or in a different county.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Now as I understand it, a couple of churches have
stepped up as well, and they're providing shelters for many
of these families and what other resources. If someone in
the community is hearing about this, maybe for the first time,
about the situation with the apartment complex and clear Water
and with your student's family, what avenues are available for
(07:02):
them to step forward and help out.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Absolutely, we with our district we have we're fortunate to
have an amazing education foundation, So ways for community to help.
They can donate to Eisenhower directly through the panelist Education
dot org. So they can go to panelis Education dot
org and there's links there to make contributions and donate
(07:27):
to our schools, specifically Eisenhower. If that's what the community
is seeking to do, and we are just so grateful
for the just outpouring of support. So Panels Education dot
Org is where they can donate. We're working closely with
the Hispanic Outreach Center in Clearwater. They are also available
(07:48):
to support our community and our families that are in need.
We work with the JWB Foundation, but really Panelist Education
Foundation where we would guide anyone wanting to help our school.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Are there any are there special challenges that with this
particular population are the people for whom, for example, people
for whom English is not their first language, among the parents,
and trying to navigate the whole system of getting aid
and assistance and support during this time.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Absolutely, and we have staff available to help our families
year round, but especially during this crisis. We are ready
with our bilingual staff members at school. Tomorrow, We've planned
and we're ready to assist our families shortly. Here I'll
be recording a message to go out to our families
(08:44):
in English and in Spanish to make sure they're aware
of all the resources available, and we'll be distributing that
information as well tomorrow to our families that are still
in need. So we are prepared and we have resources,
staff and we have various district staff members that will
be on campus to help us out tomorrow. So we're
(09:06):
just grateful for the support that we have. And yet
many of our families, they do have challenges with transportation
getting to the resources, and so we're working to ensure
our students that are displaced they have a bus to
school if they're displaced, which many of them are. So
(09:29):
we have a lot of resources right here within our
district that we are utilizing as well as our partners
in the community.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
When you see your students back in class for the
first time tomorrow, what's the message you're going to hopefully
give them and you and the instructors on their first
day back.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Absolutely, So we've met with the staff already and plan
to receive our students and Gordon, you know, when you
go through crisis and trauma, our student it's their basic needs.
We're focused on the basic needs just to ensure that
our students are fed, you know, and they have shelter
here at school during the day, those basic needs. But
(10:12):
one of those basic needs that I like to highlight,
I classify it as a basic need since a belonging.
So we're going to focus there, Eisenhower, just to ensure
that our students know that they are safe, keep them
healthy here with a nice meal, and just assess their
overall wellbeing. With students and children, sometimes you don't always
(10:35):
know how they're feeling. They're very resilient, but this is
a very traumatic experience that our kids have gone through.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
So our student services.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Our school counselor, our psychologists, and our social worker are
ready to assist. And it's unique here because these same
staff members they were there with our families, helping them
clean out what they could get out of their apartments,
giving them back. They've literally helped them pack their apartments,
(11:04):
help them remove their pets from the apartments, and so
Eisenhower's a special place. So the kids will be coming
back tomorrow, but our staff we've already been there out
where they were, and so we'll just continue that connection
in that sense of belonging here at Eisenhower.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
We literally just had an interview yesterday with a child
psychologist talking about the impacts of hurricanes on children and teenagers,
and so this is obviously something that they are really
that you're rallying together to deal with and once again
to let everybody know if they want to help you
(11:45):
and help the families at Eisenhower Elementary, they may make
a contribution to the Panela's Education Foundation.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Yes, absolutely all.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Right, Tuanna Baker, she is the principal at Eisenhower Elementary
and clear Water and really rallying together as a family
to deal with this situation in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
Thank you very much for your time on Beyond the News.
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