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Springfield Public Schools Enrolling Children Displaced From Puerto Rico

   Western Massachusetts is seeing an almost daily influx of families fleeing hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.

     Nearly 100 children evacuated from Puerto Rico have registered at Springfield Public Schools, and more are expected to enroll.

     Despite concerns about overcrowding and perhaps the need to hire more bilingual teachers, Mayor Domenic Sarno said no one will be turned away.

     "They have been through a traumatic situation and we must be here to help them whether their stay is short or long," Sarno said. " These are American citizens."

    Sarno said state and federal funds may be sought to offset the costs.

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.