Vernon schools to welcome students from abroad

The Vernon Township School District is ready to accept international students starting this fall but has to renew its contract with the Educatius Group.

Superintendent Karen D’Avino said the renewal contract is currently with the district’s attorneys as of the April 14 work session, and she would have a recommendation once it comes back.

In the meantime, Lisa Curry, who said she works for the Vernon Township School District and is the coordinator for the international program. She said she is in the process of recruiting host families for the 2022-23 school year.

She said her family has a child coming to her that will attend Vernon Township High School in the fall.

Educatius host families must provide meals, a bedroom and transportation to and from school and most choose to house the international student for either a semester or the entire academic year.

Educatius provides families with a monthly stipend for hosting.

This has been a long time coming as before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the district was looking to find a company that would be able to work with its international student program.

It came to an agreement with Educatius, but the program was postponed due to the pandemic.