BOSTON — A parent advocacy group is calling on Massachusetts policymakers to provide adequate support to hundreds of students from Puerto Rico arriving in the state following Hurricane Maria.

Massachusetts Parents United said Friday that about 880 Puerto Rican students have enrolled in public schools in five cities that already face significant educational challenges: Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence, Springfield and Worcester.

The organization says state lawmakers should provide “immediate assistance” to those public school systems.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s is proposing supplemental appropriations for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year to ensure schools can draw down additional state aid for the students.

Massachusetts has among the highest concentrations of Puerto Rican families in the country.

Thousands of the island territory’s U.S. citizens are still homeless weeks after the hurricane hit on Sept. 20.


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