Friday, December 09, 2005

CORAL SPRINGS, Florida (AP) -- Jaime Chehova spent two weeks getting supplies and decorations for her fourth-graders' first day of school in a new classroom -- for the second time this year.The teacher welcomed her students Monday to a new portable classroom. Their other classroom at Park Trails Elementary in Parkland was damaged when Hurricane Wilma rushed across Florida two weeks ago."It was like the first day of school all over again. All the kids' stuff got destroyed. I had to hand out new pens, new books, all new supplies," Chehova said.Public schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties reopened Monday for the first time since Wilma hit Florida on October 24, causing billions of dollars in damage across the state and making many schools temporarily unusable.The state's largest school district, Miami-Dade County, reopened last week.Children missed more than two full weeks of classes, and educators worried about how they would make up for lost time."We're doing some testing to see how this affected them," said Nat Harrington, spokesman for the Palm Beach School District. "We're repeating all the rules, all the expectations, and getting an assessment of where the students are skill-wise."The district planned 15 emergency makeup days for this year's academic calendar, and officials have decided to make the first two, Veterans' Day and November 23, regular school days, Harrington said.One major concern was how the delay would affect preparation for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. The standardized exam factors into whether some students advance to the next grade or, if they are in high school, graduate. The FCAT scores are also used to grade schools, and failing performances can ultimately lead to a school's closure.Broward schools Superintendent Frank Till said the district planned to ask the state to push back the FCAT, which is normally given in February and March.Till said student and faculty attendance were at normal levels Monday, and all schools were open with power."You couldn't have asked for better. ...They're back on track," he said.As of Monday afternoon, about 95 percent of the 3.2 million customers who lost power because of Wilma had it back, according to Florida Power & Light, the state's largest electric utility. The rest -- about 161,000 customers -- should have power restored by Sunday, the company said.More than 1,200 people remained in shelters in affected counties, state officials said.Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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