After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, many
families chose not to rebuild and left the area, heading for Texas. A good
number of these families settled in the greater Houston area. This sudden
migration placed a great strain on the pubic school districts that had to
scurry to find portable classrooms and hire additional teachers and staff to
meet the needs of the onrushing new student population.
Thanks to Hurricane Maria, the same thing is about to happen
in Puerto Rico.
Many of the families affected by the storm and who are able,
will be leaving the island for the mainland. Many of these people may never
return to Puerto Rico.
They are heading to live with relatives and friends who live
in the continental United States. According to my estimation, many of these
families will be coming to Florida and New York, two states with substantial
Puerto Rican populations. They will enroll their children in the local public
schools so that the student’s can catch up with their education. Most students
have already missed two weeks of school and according to some reports; schools
on the island may not reopen this year at all.
School administrators of districts about to be impacted need
to be proactive and get ready. Teachers and counselors will need to be empathetic
to the needs of these children who have been uprooted by the cruelty of nature.
It will be a trying time for all. Different curricula, the need to establish
new friendships- all will need to be addressed. Public school educators in this country
have a knack for being resourceful. This will be one more time when all of our collective
resources will have to be marshaled and extend a hand to fellow Americans.
c.2017 J. Margolis
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