Florida public schools enroll displaced students from Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian

A number of public schools in Palm Beach County, Fla., are reportedly enrolling students from the Bahamas who have been displaced from their homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

As of Tuesday, the Palm Beach County School District had enrolled 15 Bahamian children, a district spokeswoman told CNN.

The students can attend any of the district’s schools, and students will be placed at a school depending on where they’re staying, local station WPTV reports.

{mosads}“They need to get back to being safe, they need to get back to being around kids around their age, they need to be around a teacher, they need structure they need that support and they also need the counselors,” Deputy Superintendent Keith Oswald said, according to WPTV. “It’s been a traumatic experience for these families and it’s so important the kids receive not only their educational component, but the mental and social principles as well.”

The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County is taking part in aid efforts by providing students with backpacks filled with school supplies. The foundation will also open its school supply store to evacuated families so they can get supplies for free, according to CNN.

The move marks one of several efforts across the state to aid evacuees after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas, killing at least 50 people and leaving 70,000 homeless.

A Florida-based cruise line, for instance, announced last week that it would send a ship to the Bahamas with hurricane supplies and bring evacuees back to the U.S.

The Trump administration, according to multiple reports, will not offer temporary protected status to Bahamians affected by Hurricane Dorian.