The Foreign Service Journal - December 2017

90 DECEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Step Two: Contact the School in the Safe Haven Location Occasionally, families may travel to a country nearby to safe haven for a short period of time. In such cases, students may be invited to attend the brick and mortar school at the safe haven post, or may opt to work through assignments alone or virtually. The safe haven post may be able to assist with coordinat- ing attendance at the brick and mortar school. Evacuations are stressful times full of uncertainty. Although an evacuation cannot last longer than 180 days, there is no guarantee—from Day 1 to Day 180—of exactly when or if the family will return to post. This is why it is recommended that families enroll their children in school Making Choices for Your Family A s parents, we need to take responsibility for our own children’s educa- tion because everyone’s situation is different and every child’s needs are unique. Don’t sit around waiting for something to be done for your family. We made the decision to move back into our home in Indiana during our evacuation from Cairo. It was a stressful time for all of us, especially because my husband had to stay behind. But the best and most important thing we did was to settle the kids into schools of our choosing as soon as possible—within two days. We elected to spend our own money to enroll them in a private school—it was expensive, but it was the right choice for our family. Don’t forget that you have choices! The State Department did a great job of getting us out of Cairo safely … and taking care of so many of our immediate needs, but it would have been ridiculous to expect them to cater to my individual, personal circumstances. —Marci Kilpatrick, evacuated from Cairo in 2011