Opinion

Biden Border Invasion Overwhelming American Schools

American public schools face many problems. As a public school teacher myself, I’m well aware of that.

Both academic and disciplinary standards have declined. There are controversies over social issues, what should be taught, and how things should be taught.

Family disintegration and dysfunction produces children who are not prepared to be successful students. So teachers have to deal with that.

And, as if all these problems weren’t enough, our schools are being inundated with foreign students.

Thanks to the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision in 1982, public schools can’t turn away illegal alien students.

The current inundation of public schools by foreign students is dealt with in the January 2024 issue of We Are Teachers, an e-magazine I received in my school email inbox.

It’s entitled, "Schools Across the U.S. Are Struggling To Keep Up With the Influx of Migrant Students."

Here’s how the article begins: “The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) reports that 2023 saw a historic high of 2.5 million migrants at the U.S. border. It follows that many schools have reported a significant rise in the enrollment of migrant students. Shortages of teachers, bus drivers, and substitutes, not to mention the lingering effects of the pandemic, already take a toll on schools. Migrant students—especially those who have survived traumatizing journeys—require unique language, mental health, and educational services. With educational systems already under stress, schools in cities like New York, Denver, and Chicago are struggling.”

Yes, that’s all true, as taxpayer-funded public schools are required to take in more and more foreign students.

The article focuses on these three cities – New York, Denver and Chicago.

In New York City, the article tells us, “The city’s educators are grappling with the need to accommodate diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, posing challenges for both teachers and administrators.”

The article’s report on Denver quotes an NPR article stating, “The basic needs of families are tremendous. Some kids live in shelters. The clinic at the school has a waitlist for students needing mental health services. In essays, some students wrote about dead bodies or dangerous animals they saw on their journey to Colorado. Thirteen-year-old Ashley, with long, curly brown hair, arrived from Venezuela in September. She says one time in Mexico, the bus made a detour, and they were handed over to people who told them to pay or be detained or kidnapped.”

The situation in Chicago is so dire that the governor has to deal with it: “Governor J.B. Pritzker allocated over $30 million directed to Chicago in response to the migrant student influx. However, faced with the escalating arrivals, Pritzker made a direct appeal to President Joe Biden in early October, deeming the situation ‘untenable’ for Chicago and Illinois.”

Yes, this is all true and it’s a big problem.

So what does the We Are Teachers article propose as a solution?

“Migrant students offer so much to American schools and communities. Their experiences and cultural perspectives enhance the social fabric of a school, and the value of bilingual education benefits the entire school community. But in order to fully appreciate and utilize this diversity, we must ensure they have what they need to be successful.”

The article suddenly declares, with no supporting evidence, that having all these foreign students dumped on the public school system helps us! How can that be?

“Migrant students have unique educational needs that require more support from every level. Their teachers need training on cultural responsiveness, bilingual support, and best practices to support these students. Schools need to hire more teachers to create smaller classrooms, more counselors to offer mental health services, and more community liaisons to support migrant families and their needs. Districts need to hire experts to facilitate, guide, and evaluate schools on their response to this unique population. States need to put action behind their values and fully fund schools as well as raise teacher pay and benefits to ensure a talented, competitive candidate pool.”

The article’s solution is yet more taxpayer money to educate students who have no right to be here.

Why should American citizens have to put up with this?

You can find more of Allan Wall's work at his website.