Hurricane Katrina: Back to School: Public Bailout. Private Agenda?

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For evacuees, the constitutionality of assistance matters far less than the assistance itself. The day before Katrina hit, Albert and Anne Betz moved with Jane Todd, 10, and Owen, 7, out of soon-to-be drowned Pass Christian, Miss., and into a condo in Sandestin, Fla. Back home, Anne had taught at the children's private Episcopal school, but the couple heard that the best schools near Sandestin were public and were happy with the one to which their kids were assigned. Within days, however, Anne received a letter from the Walton County School District stating that the onslaught of evacuees had caused overcrowding, and her children would have to study elsewhere. Now they are bused daily to one school, only to be placed on a second bus to another. At this point, all Anne is asking for is normalcy. "It does not matter if it's private or public school," she says. "The most important thing is my children's happiness." --With reporting by Melissa August/ Washington, Steve Barnes/Little Rock, Deborah Fowler and Sonja Steptoe/Houston and Kathie Klarreich/Sandestin