Indiana is deploying specialized support teams to help schools and students recover from disruptions caused by recent severe weather.

Gov. Mike Braun said the effort will focus on restoring lost instructional time, assisting displaced students and providing individualized guidance to affected school districts.

The Indiana Department of Education is working with schools in counties covered by local disaster declarations. Districts will develop plans to recover missed classroom time through options such as scheduled makeup days, shortened breaks, professional development days or extended school hours.

Affected districts must submit their recovery plans to the state by Sept. 18.

Indiana also plans to offer additional grant funding to help schools provide food, clothing, shelter and transportation to students displaced by the storms. Under federal law, students who have lost housing must continue to have access to education and related services.

State education specialists will work directly with districts on both immediate reopening needs and longer-term academic recovery.

The effort follows federal approval of a major disaster declaration for Indiana. Residents seeking recovery assistance can text IN211HELP to 898-211 to receive information about resources available in their ZIP code.