New York DOE’s Guidance for Schools on How to Manage Influx of Migrant Students Sparks Criticism

Recently arrived migrants gather outside of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on Aug. 14, 2023. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is facing criticism after issuing very brief guidance instructing educators on how to handle the influx of migrants as classes are set to start on Sept. 7.

In its 2-page “Guidance on Project Open Arms,” the DOE noted that some children may face language barriers when it comes to interacting with their teachers and peers, and asks teachers in these cases to find a staff member who speaks the child’s “preferred language.”

“Students may require assistance with their English language skills in order to interact with their peers and teachers, access the curriculum, and express their needs,” the guidance states.

“If available, you are encouraged to identify a staff member at your school who can communicate in both English and the family’s preferred language. If no one at your school speaks a student’s home language, contact the Office of Language Access for language support,” it adds.

Elsewhere, when it comes to supplies, the guidance notes that students may arrive at school without them.

In these cases, teachers are asked to consider using their “Title 1 Student in Temporary Housing“ funds, which provide funding to schools with high numbers or high percentages of students from low-income families, to create ”care package closets“ or ”care packages” including school supplies, clothing and shoes, and hygiene products or toiletries.

The guidance also notes that the DOE does not track immigration status, meaning it is unclear exactly how many children the schools will be taking in.

Recently arrived illegal immigrants get information on free health care in front of P.S. 188 in Coney Island which has recently begun housing migrants in the school gym in New York City on May 16, 2023. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Schools Warned Not to Turn Away Students

However, it warns that staff members should “be prepared to welcome all students,” and that schools “should not turn away any students, regardless of immigration status.”

The guidance is facing fierce criticism amid an influx of migrant students—roughly 20,000 migrant students have enrolled in city schools this year, according to New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks.

“Principals have been preparing their schools for weeks and months and to get something two days in advance seems delinquent on the part of the DOE,” said Craig Slutzkin, a DOE parent who sits on the Community Education Council for District 2, told The New York Post.

Meanwhile, Staten Island Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo told the publication he was not surprised the DOE appeared to be ill-prepared.

“How could the DOE be prepared? We have people flying in from the continent of Africa. How can we be prepared for the influx of languages?” the said. “The migrant influx appears to have become an unmitigated disaster. My prediction is the DOE will be scrambling to catch up and kids won’t be learning.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul gives a speech in New York on Jan. 31, 2023. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Hochul Acknowledges ‘Challenges’ Ahead

Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, a Republican whose district includes PS 31, also said she expects the first day of school to be more chaotic, as usual, telling the publication that “with the migrant crisis it’s going to be bizzaro.”

The guidance comes as the city has employed 3,400 English as a New Language licensed teachers and more than 1,700 certified bilingual teachers who are fluent in Spanish in hopes of bridging “communication gaps,” according to Governor Kathy Hochul.

Yet still, Ms. Hochul herself acknowledged the challenges teachers will likely face as school begins again.

“I think language is going to be a challenge, particularly in the early days. We can’t always find someone in the exact language that a student was raised in,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press conference Wednesday.

“We have individuals coming from Mauritania, for example. I don’t know that we have many teachers who are proficient in the language spoken in Mauritania, so we have real challenges. They’re coming in from West Africa, South and Central America, so it’s not just assuming that Spanish is going to cover everybody. It doesn’t come close,” Ms. Hochul said.

In August, Ms. Hochul asked President Joe Biden to direct the federal government and help provide the sanctuary state with housing, support, and work authorization for illegal immigrants to allow them to “resettle in communities more quickly.”

The Democrat also asked that federal land and facilities be used as temporary shelter sites.