Health concerns of Cape's student migrants same as any other family, school officials say

As of Thursday, the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District had an enrollment of 2,921 students, including 162 students classified as immigrants under the federal definition used in state reporting, according to Superintendent of Schools Marc J. Smith in a statement.

The statement was intended to address immunization compliance in the school district.

“The district’s nursing staff is dedicated to providing individualized care to every child and collaborating with families to address their medical needs while connecting them with additional resources beyond the school district,” Smith said.

Access to reliable health care makes it difficult for some families to meet all requirement timelines each year, he said. School nurses play a key role in working with families towards vaccine compliance, Smith said.

The school district works with each family to meet immunization requirements in alignment with state guidelines to protect the health of its student population, he said.

On Sept. 11, Yarmouth town officials announced Gov. Maura Healey's office reported placing multiple migrant families at the Harborside Suites motel in South Yarmouth. Twenty-five students of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District are currently residing at the Harborside Suites, Smith said in the statement.

There are no specific health concerns regarding families living at the Harborside Suites that differ from the concerns for any other families facing challenging circumstances, he said.

Two members of the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District School Committee and Smith were not immediately available Friday afternoon for comment.

Monitoring migrant relocation programs

Dennis-Yarmouth school officials are closely monitoring developments and working with relevant authorities to respond to any changing circumstances as the state's migrant relocation program evolves, Smith said.

In Bourne, the owners of the Eastern Inn learned in late September from state housing officials that the inn is legally housing migrants and should not be forced to evict them.

The state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities on Sept. 28 agreed with the inn owerns' assessment and said the Bourne Board of Health cannot interfere with the state obligation to provide shelter and medical/social services. The Bourne Board of Health earlier in September sought state guidance on allowing migrants to remain at the Eastern Inn beyond a town bylaw limit for motel stays.

In early September, Bourne Public Schools Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou publicly reassured the Bourne School Committee at a public meeting that the education of 55 students from migrant or displaced families has placed no financial impacts on Bourne Public Schools at the start of the new school year.

Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about healthcare and education. Reach her at rmujib@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Dennis, Yarmouth schools tally immigrant students in vaccine notice