Schools May Face Influx of Students Displaced by Storm
Memo from state outlines emergency procedures for taking in children from other districts.
It’s only a trickle so far, with most New Jersey schools just beginning to reopen this week, but Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath will likely mean a sizable number of children displaced not just from their homes but from their schools. The state this week alerted districts to the rights of those displaced students, wherever they end up after the devastating storm, and to the procedures school districts must follow. Under the federal law that protects homeless students, known as the McKinney-Vento Act, the state’s memo said that schools must enroll students right away and can work out paperwork in the ensuing weeks. Displaced students are also entitled to stay in their new schools for the duration of the year, even if they find permanent …
