    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 36 (Monday, September 12, 2005)]
    [Pages 1358-1359]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Efforts To Assist Students and School Districts Displaced by
    Hurricane Katrina

    September 6, 2005

        The President. Laura and I just had a good visit with Secretary of
    Education Spellings and her team about the--about the school children
    who have been displaced because of Hurricane Katrina. You know, this is
    a time when a lot of families are looking forward to sending their child
    back to school, and their children are excited about school. But a lot
    of those dreams and a lot of that excitement has been upset for a lot of
    students because of the storm.
        Yesterday we went to a shelter in Baton Rouge and met a lot of
    little kids, many of whom are starting school in Baton Rouge. And it's
    indicative of what's taking place

    [[Page 1359]]

    across the country. A lot of school districts are taking in these
    children who have had to leave their homes and their local districts.
    And we want to thank the schools and the school districts and the
    teachers and the PTAs for reaching out and doing their duty.
        We spent time talking about how to help States absorb the costs. And
    Margaret is working on a plan that we'll announce to the country after a
    while. The other thing that--and by the way, they're going to set up a
    web page tomorrow that will enable people from around the country to be
    able to access the Department of Education web page to determine how
    they can help these school districts that are bringing in the new
    students.
        As well, yesterday, when Laura and I were in Mississippi, I ran into
    a young pharmacy student that had been going to Xavier in New Orleans.
    And Xavier is one of our great universities, and she was so excited
    about going to school and had to come back home because of the
    hurricane. And she was concerned and worried.
        One of the things that people can be assured of is that, one, we're
    reaching out to other universities to encourage them to accept students,
    and many are. And we will--there will be loan forbearance and loan
    extensions. In other words, the Department of Education will help those
    who have--are dependent upon student loans, will help them be able to
    finance their education, will help them--if they're not going to go back
    to school--and we hope they do, but if they choose not to, there will be
    a loan forbearance. In other words, this Education Department of ours is
    going to be flexible.
        I'm confident that this Government of ours will be able to help the
    local school districts, and I'm confident that the local school
    districts will still want to maintain a high standard of excellence and
    make sure every child learns to read and write and add and subtract.
        Laura is going down to DeSoto County, Mississippi, to comfort the
    folks there and to let them know the Federal Government is aware of the
    problems when it comes to education and that we will step up and assume
    our responsibility to make sure every single child in this country gets
    a good education.
        And again, I want to thank the local school districts all around the
    country who are making extraordinary efforts to make sure that the
    children who have been upset by this hurricane are able to find some
    comfort and some solace in the midst of their anguish by being able to
    go to a school.
        Thank you all.
        Q. Can you take a question on energy, sir?
        Q. When is the First Lady going, sir?
        The President. Thursday.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:04 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.