What to Know
- Thousands of migrant children will enter New York City Public Schools starting Thursday.
- This is a reality that other cities across the nation are also facing as they look to find funds, space and teachers to manage the increase in students.
- Language is now the main barrier, with schools scrambling to hire bilingual teachers and specialized staff, prompting NYC Schools to look to hire 3,000 ASL instructors and thousands more specialized staff positions.
Thousands of migrant children will enter New York City Public Schools starting Thursday.
With classes starting Thursday and a surge of asylum-seeking students will be enrolling, the Department of Education and families are preparing for that important day. This is a reality that other cities across the nation are also facing as they look to find funds, space and teachers to manage the increase in students.
On Wednesday morning, News 4 New York witnessed a couple of buses arriving at the Roosevelt Hotel with several families with children. These families were anxious to get their children enrolled, but the city is under pressure. Officials say up to the month of July, more than 19,000 students are in the shelter system, most of them are migrants.
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To deal with the delicate scenario, NYC Schools has added $110 million to the budget, but some still worry that services are stretched to the limit.
New York State law indicates that all children between ages 5 to 21 are entitled to a public education: students are entitled to receive all school services, including free lunch, free breakfast, transportation and education services even if their family is undocumented.
"The students are the future of he New York City system and it is critical that we support them," Liza Schwartzwald, of the NY Immigration Coalition, said.
Migrant Crisis
Asylum seekers are being sent to New York City with hopes of a new, better life — but finding obstacle after obstacle instead.
Language is now one of the main barriers that NYC Schools faces, with schools scrambling to hire bilingual teachers and specialized staff, prompting the city to look into hiring 3,000 ASL instructors and thousands more specialized staff positions.
At this point nearly 60,000 asylum seekers remain under city care with more expected to arrive.
