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Children Of Hurricane Refugees May Enroll In Texas Schools

Gov. Rick Perry announced Wednesday that Texas school districts will enroll children of Hurricane Katrina refugees sheltered within each district.

Perry made the announcement during a ceremonial signing of an eminent-domain bill passed during the recent Legislature.

Perry and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco agreed Wednesday to a plan that would move at least 25,000 Hurricane Katrina refugees from New Orleans to Houston.

Most of the refugees are sweltering in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

The plan calls for them to be moved to Houston's Astrodome, where they would be sheltered temporarily until better accommodations can be found.

.“In the face of such tragic circumstances, we all have to pull together so these families have as much normalcy as possible during these difficult times,” Perry said.

Perry said the Texas Education Agency has been directed to provide all needed support for districts having to absorb the additional children from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

He said Texas wants to do all it can to comfort children who have "almost overnight been uprooted from their daily routines."

The TEA said the refugee children can qualify as "homeless" and may enroll without proof of residence.

“I want stranded families to know the doors of Texas’ public schools are immediately open to your school-aged children,” Perry said.

“I also want school leaders to know that we realize this will put a strain on their capacity, so I have asked the Texas Education Agency to work them to make sure they have the textbooks they need, funding for transportation and the free-and-reduced lunch program and class size waivers as needed.”