The Greater Essex County District School Board is ready to welcome an influx of refugees fleeing Syria.
Superintendent of Education Sharon Pyke says teachers and school psychologists are being put through refresher workshops in the new year, on how to deal with students who may not speak english, and who may suffer from mental health issues.
"I think, right now, the biggest challenge is not knowing how many we're getting and when they're coming. I feel that we're ready and waiting for them."
Pyke says there is no number of new students that would be too many for the school board to handle at once.
Each new student is expected to be assessed by the board upon arrival and placed in a classroom at a school with ESL programs within a couple of weeks.
The GECDSB welcomed more than 400 new elementary students from other countries last year, and almost 200 at the secondary level.