It’s raining and windy outside but the administrators, teachers and children in the Jewish day school barely notice.  Everyone is busy.  Classes are in session, the principal is chairing a meeting, a few teachers with free periods are working in the teachers’ lounge.  Unknown to any of them, tornados have just been spotted in the area.

Not a happy scenario to contemplate but one whose “worst case” outcome, chalila, will be less likely by the end of the month.  By then, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Public Alert Radios should have been mailed to nonpublic schools nationwide by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

After many months of interaction with Agudath Israel of America and other nonpublic school advocates, FEMA has agreed to expand the distribution of the special radios – which broadcast special government alerts in emergency situations from dangerous weather to child abductions to terrorist threats – to schools like those Agudath Israel’s education division services, and not only public schools, which have been receiving the radios since 2005.

Approximately 183,000 of the radios, which signal audible and visible alerts in emergencies, will be distributed this fall to public and nonpublic pre-schools, K-12 nonpublic schools, K-12 public and nonpublic district offices, and public and nonpublic post-secondary schools.

The word was gotten out to Jewish schools across is the country by Mrs. Deborah Zachai, Agudath Israel’s director of education affairs, who notified the schools it services of the breakthrough, including information about the radios themselves and how to obtain them.

Rabbi Abba Cohen, director and counsel of Agudath Israel’s Washington Office, played an active role in obtaining the radios for nonpublic schools.  “When talking of national catastrophes there can be no differentiating between public and nonpublic schools,” he asserts.  “All children are precious and equally entitled to the protection of the government.

“FEMA did the right thing here and it deserves to be congratulated.”
 
Asked in her office at Agudath Israel’s Manhattan headquarters what the response from school administrators has been like so far, Mrs. Zachai doesn’t hesitate.

“Extremely positive,” she says.  “We have received a slew of notes expressing gratitude both for our role in convincing FEMA to offer the radios to nonpublic schools and for apprising the schools of their availability.”

She goes on to add that “We hope, of course, that the devices will not prove necessary, but, especially in these challenging times, they are surely in the realm of the proper hishtadlus we have to make to protect our children.”

(Eli Gefen – YWN Queens Ops’ Desk)