Florida schools prepare of influx from Puerto Rico

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Osceola County School District says they're ready help people start a new life after Hurricane Maria.

As commercial flights slowly make their way to Central Florida from Puerto Rico, the district says they're prepared to enroll children who are in transition. County commissioner Viviana Janer says the potential influx, though great, is more of the same.

"We've been getting approximately 1,000 families a month here in Central Florida.  We've been getting an influx over the past two years anyway because of the economic crisis that the island has been experiencing."

The district says students will be able to start school immediately, despite not having proper paperwork, releasing a statement that says in part.

"In some cases, these students may arrive with no school records, no immunization or physical records, and no school supplies.  Osceola stands ready to enroll and assist students coming from Puerto Rico."

The district is also welcoming parents of those children to apply for positions within the district. Commissioner Janer says the county is working with the district to make sure those families also have a place to live.

"We're speaking with our emergency services, our human services, to prepare for this influx, we're expecting a lot of families doubled and triple that right now... We just want to make sure they're not homeless."

Officials with Osceola tell me that they're also working with Orange County to assist in the placement of students.