Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY
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A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 2 october 2017
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US school districts prepare for influx of Puerto Ricans
By MICHAEL MELIA are being asked to let the
Associated Press school district know as soon
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) as possible if they plan to
— As Hurricane Maria put up any school-age
churned toward Puerto relatives. In Hartford, Con-
Rico, Joseenid Martin Greg- necticut, the superinten-
ory put her sons Eliot Saez dent directed the welcome
Martin, 9, and his brother, center to closely track the
Elionet, 5, on a plane to be number of families coming
with their grandfather in because of the hurricane in
Connecticut, fearing their order to stay ahead of the
lives could be in danger if trend. At the top of the list
they stayed on the island. of concerns is the emotion-
As the scale of the dev- al well-being of students,
astation became clear, not only for newcomers but
and the boys’ grandfa- also children whose rela-
ther, Jose Martin, found no tives are affected or whose
way to communicate with homes could suddenly be-
his daughter, he made ar- come crowded with ex-
rangements to keep the tended family.
boys here indefinitely. He “It wasn’t only going
bought notebooks and through the hurricane and
markers and enrolled his listening to horrific winds
grandchildren at the local and thinking there won’t be
elementary school in New In this Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 photo, Elionet Saez Martin, of Puerto Rico, left, works with his kindergarten a tomorrow,” said Ileana
Britain. teacher Rachael Leupold, right, at Chamberlain Elementary School in New Britain, Conn. As Cintron, chief of family and
Hurricane Maria churned toward Puerto Rico, Elionet’s mother put him and his 9-year-old brother,
Eliot, on a plane to be with their grandfather in Connecticut. The community engagement
brothers are among the first of what is expected to be large for Holyoke schools. “The
numbers of Puerto Rican children enrolling in school districts aftermath of scarcity, and
on the U.S. mainland, particularly in urban areas from Florida to people being very anxious
Massachusetts with large Puerto Rican populations. about where they will find
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill) food, that definitely has an
“We didn’t think the hur- schools have been closed impact on children.”
ricane was going to be since Hurricane Irma, and Martin said his grandsons
catastrophic. With the situ- others will be dealing with understand a big storm hit
ation Puerto Rico is in now, trauma from living through Puerto Rico, but he and
it’s difficult,” said Martin, a the storm and its aftermath. his wife try to keep them
landscaper. “I thank God The Category 4 storm that distracted with trips to the
that the children are here. tore across the island on park. Neither boy speaks
They’re in school. They Sept. 20 with winds of 155 English, and both are re-
have food.” mph has left many to de- ceiving special language
The two brothers are cide whether to ride out instruction. Martin said they
among the first of what are the months-long recovery, seem happy at Chamber-
expected to be large num- including the reconstruc- lain Elementary School in
bers of Puerto Rican chil- tion of the electricity grid, this city just west of Hart-
dren enrolling in school dis- or to take refuge on the ford. “They don’t ask too
tricts on the U.S. mainland, U.S. mainland, at least for many questions about
particularly in urban areas a while. Since commer- what happened in Puerto
from Florida to New York to cial flights have not yet re- Rico, what happened with
Massachusetts where fami- sumed regular schedules, it mama, what happened
lies are planning to open will likely be several weeks with grandmama,” he said.
their homes to displaced before districts have a true “We’re doing our best.”
relatives. sense for the numbers. Martin still has not been
The districts are making Still, some are doing what able to speak the boys’
plans to accommodate they can to anticipate the mother in San German.
students with a unique set scale of what’s to come. A nephew in New Jersey
of needs: Some coming In Holyoke, Massachusetts, heard from a nephew in
from the Caribbean island where 80 percent of the Puerto Rico two days af-
have limited English skills, 5,300 schoolchildren are ter the storm that she was
some are already weeks from the island or of Puer- alive, but he hasn’t heard
behind because island to Rican descent, parents more.q
