Questionnaire for Louisiana Department of Education
Thank you for taking time today to help me gather information about how Hurricanes Katrina and Rita impacted the National School Lunch Program in Louisiana in the wake of the disasters and in the months shortly following.
I am going to ask you several questions. These questions will be the same for all of the interviews conducted with personnel working with the National School Lunch Program.
I would like to use a tape recorder to document our conversation. Are you comfortable with this? I also take notes as we talk. Usually I am writing a question or topic that I would like to learn more about.
The discussion today will consist of several open ended questions. At the end, I will ask you if you have any further comments that you think are important to consider that I did not ask.
Are you ready to get started?
1. With regard to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), what emergency/disaster preparations did the Louisiana Department of Education (LADOE) have in place prior to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005?
2. Following both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the LADOE made an effort to ensure that students were fed. What enabled the success of the program after Hurricane Katrina?
3. What barriers did the Louisiana Department of Education face while trying to implement the NSLP disaster plan after Hurricane Katrina?
4. Did these post-Hurricane Katrina barriers lead to changes in policy prior to Hurricane Rita?
5. If so, were these changes temporary or permanent?
6. Did the arrival of Hurricane Rita on September 24, 2005 compound or reinforce any changes to Louisiana’s NSLP?
7. What enabled the success of Louisiana’s NSLP after Hurricane Rita?
8. What barriers did the LADOE face while trying to implement the NSLP disaster plan after Hurricane Rita?
9. Did these post-Hurricane Rita barriers lead to changes in policy?
10. If so, were these changes temporary or permanent?
11. What parts of the NSLP disaster/emergency policy, if any, were designed for decisions to be made by the parish? District? School? How was this dependant on the nature or degree of the disaster or emergency?
12. With regard to the Louisiana National School Lunch Program, did Hurricane Katrina require the Louisiana Department of Education to re-budget federal and state NSLP funds among parishes?
13. Did the revised budget change with the arrival of Hurricane Rita on September 24, 2005?
If so, how?
14. If yes, how did re-budgeting affect Louisiana’s ability to offer free and reduced lunch in the 2005-2006 school year?
15. Will the changes in the policy and budget after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affect future national, state, or local disaster policy? If so, how?
16. Will these changes in the NSLP policy and budget affect Louisiana’s ability to feed school-aged children in the future?
17. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, how was participation and eligibility reported by parish/city public school districts?
18. Were Louisiana NSLP employees relocated to other parishes after Hurricane Katrina to help relieve schools that were short-staffed?
19. Was personnel shifted between parishes after Hurricane Rita?
20. How did school foodservice and administration handle instances where employees could not be located? For example:
a. Did new foodservice personnel have to be temporarily assigned or hired?
b. Were out-of-state volunteers recruited to assist? In-state volunteers?
21. In parishes where schools were operating after the hurricanes, I can imagine that infrastructure damage or a change in student attendance prevented schools from
executing their normal foodservice operation. Some schools were completely destroyed.
Some kitchens were flooded and others were not large enough to prepare meals for the newly enlarged student population. In other cases, roads to and from affected areas were damaged. What are some examples of how some schools’ foodservice handled these challenges?
22. What effects did the hurricanes have on Louisiana’s NSLP food access and inventory?
23. Were there costs associated with NSLP personnel and infrastructure changes, shifts in student enrollment, or the actual physical loss of food?
24. It is my understanding based on the August 2005 Louisiana Food and Nutrition Program Policies of Operation Part XLIX. Bulletin 1196, the American Red Cross and the USDA collaborate during natural disasters. How was the Red Cross able to assist Louisiana with the delivery of school food service after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita?
25. Which and to what capacity were other civic organizations able to assist the NSLP in Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita?
26. If so, did this contribute to the Louisiana Department of Education’s ability to meet the needs of the National School Lunch Program?
27. On August 31, 2005, the USDA e-mailed a memorandum to Special Nutrition Programs in all regional and state Agencies and Child Nutrition Programs in all states titled
Emergency Feeding of School Children in Areas Devastated by Hurricane Katrina. What steps did the state administrators take to let evacuated students and families know that they were automatically eligible for free lunches? How was the state effort different from the local and national efforts?
28. Do you have any suggestions for future NSLP disaster policy in Louisiana or in the United States?
29. Are there any other additional comments that you would like to add that you feel are important to include with regard to the National School Lunch Program in Louisiana following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita?
30. Do you have any recommendations for others with whom I should interview?
APPENDIX E