ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 19 — U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that the U.S. Department of Education is providing $500,000 in support to the Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Public Instruction to help students and teachers in Virginia schools directly impacted by the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. The funds can be used to provide counseling for students and teachers, hire substitute teachers, add to security, clean up damaged schools, retain experts in long-term crisis planning, and rent space or transport students if needed.

Paige made the announcement today while visiting students, teachers and community members at Patrick Henry Elementary School in Arlington. Paige offered broad support that will help schools deal with the crisis on an immediate and long-term basis, met with a group of teachers to talk about ways to help students cope with the terrorist attacks, and led students in a discussion about their thoughts and feelings related to the events of the past week. State and local school officials accompanied Paige on his school visit.

"Some children and teachers in Northern Virginia schools saw and felt the impact of the plane crash at the Pentagon, and still other Virginia students and teachers lost loved ones," Paige said. "As students return to their classrooms and to their teachers and friends, I am proud that we can provide the schools of Virginia with immediate and substantial assistance to provide counseling and other services for children, families and teachers. This type of support now, as well as continuing help, will assist Virginia's communities as they deal with the loss that this area has suffered."

The department has offered support to other states and cities including Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C. — to help school districts directly impacted by the terrorist attacks. On Monday, President Bush and Secretary Paige announced a $4 million grant to the New York City Board of Education to help students and schools recover from the attacks on the World Trade Center. More than 1 million students attend school in New York City where several schools located near to the World Trade Center site remain closed.

The grants are part of the department's Project SERV, intended to provide assistance such as counseling services to local school districts that have experienced a traumatic event and created with a $10 million appropriation from Congress. The department will also provide other forms of assistance and support to these school districts as they develop long-range trauma response plans to help the members of their school communities.

In addition to offering grants and other support services to directly impacted school districts, the Department of Education has developed suggestions for parents, educators and other caring adults to help them meet the needs of all children in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. These suggestions and links to other Web resources are listed on the Department of Education's Web site at http://www.ed.gov.

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