Some schools in Puerto Rico to open for first time since Maria
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Youths chat at the Ramon Marin Sola Elementary School, which opened its doors as a daytime community center after the passing of Hurricane Maria in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico >> Puerto Rico education officials say they are opening some public schools next week.
The island’s 345,000 students have been out of school since Hurricane Maria swept over the U.S. territory Sept. 20.
Education officials say classes will begin at schools in two regions Tuesday — Mayaguez and San Juan. Teachers arrive a day earlier.
Classes for students in two other regions, Bayamon and Ponce, will begin Oct. 30. But it’s not clear yet when schools in the rest of the island’s seven regions will open.
At least 30,000 students have left for the United States, but some of those are attending private schools. Education officials aren’t sure how many students will return.
There are more than 1,100 schools in the system. At least 70 were too badly damaged to re-open.
