Repost: "Hardships at the High School."
This is reposted, with permission, from a friend working at a high school here in the southwest who wishes to remain anonymous.
The schedule today included a staff development workshop about cultural proficiency and sensitivity. The school is on the south side of town - which means that it certainly has some of the problems associated with such a geographical location. Namely...poverty, gangs, drugs, and high dropout rates and low graduation rates. In addition, the school is "hypersegregated" - the racial/ethnic majority is Hispanic, over 90% so.
However, the fact that over 100 current Sophomores registered for Junior AP English. Nearly 100 current Juniors are registered for Senior AP English. The majority of students are amazing, with the gang and drug use being more in the minority.
One problem that can't be erased, well, there are two really, is the fact that a great number of students are living in poverty. Many come to school with inadequate supplies. Food or paper and pencils? Food wins out for basic needs. Every time. Food, or gas, or electricity to keep the heat and lights on.
The second big problem, which is really tied to the first, is the racial one. And of course being here in Arizona, with a state government and voting populace that consistently enact racist legislation against Hispanics, the two are even more entangled. While the list of racist laws is extensive, there's one that really sticks out right now.
Due to current economic hardships, Arizona, which is not the only state doing this by the way, has gotten more vociferous in deporting suspected illegal immigrants. While yes, the state can hardly afford to take care of its own residents, and yes, illegal immigration is exactly that - illegal, it's causing serious problems. The kind of unintended, probably more like of-no-concern, problems.
Our principal told us how a student got suspended last Thursday, and had to attend a Saturday detention. The student called our principal on Sunday, she gives her cell phone number out in devotion to the kids. He told her that he had not eaten since his last meal at school on Thursday before being suspended. Why? His parents were gone when he got home. They had literally been sent back to Mexico, and law officials had not even bothered to make sure they had all the family while doing so. He has no home, no supervision, nothing.
He's not alone, however. Several other students have come home to find their families gone. Deported. No word. In fact, one student figured out what happened and tried to cross the desert on his own back into Mexico to find his family. He died in the desert. Died. Trying to go back to Mexico.
The truly sad thing is that these stories are not entirely unusual. I've heard of this happening, but not until today had I heard about it on such a close level. It's infuriating. It's disheartening.
After this, a discussion about the $10 million budget cuts followed. Our district takes a $10 mil portion of the $400 mil that the state legislature cut from K-12 across the state.
It's shameful.
The schedule today included a staff development workshop about cultural proficiency and sensitivity. The school is on the south side of town - which means that it certainly has some of the problems associated with such a geographical location. Namely...poverty, gangs, drugs, and high dropout rates and low graduation rates. In addition, the school is "hypersegregated" - the racial/ethnic majority is Hispanic, over 90% so.
However, the fact that over 100 current Sophomores registered for Junior AP English. Nearly 100 current Juniors are registered for Senior AP English. The majority of students are amazing, with the gang and drug use being more in the minority.
One problem that can't be erased, well, there are two really, is the fact that a great number of students are living in poverty. Many come to school with inadequate supplies. Food or paper and pencils? Food wins out for basic needs. Every time. Food, or gas, or electricity to keep the heat and lights on.
The second big problem, which is really tied to the first, is the racial one. And of course being here in Arizona, with a state government and voting populace that consistently enact racist legislation against Hispanics, the two are even more entangled. While the list of racist laws is extensive, there's one that really sticks out right now.
Due to current economic hardships, Arizona, which is not the only state doing this by the way, has gotten more vociferous in deporting suspected illegal immigrants. While yes, the state can hardly afford to take care of its own residents, and yes, illegal immigration is exactly that - illegal, it's causing serious problems. The kind of unintended, probably more like of-no-concern, problems.
Our principal told us how a student got suspended last Thursday, and had to attend a Saturday detention. The student called our principal on Sunday, she gives her cell phone number out in devotion to the kids. He told her that he had not eaten since his last meal at school on Thursday before being suspended. Why? His parents were gone when he got home. They had literally been sent back to Mexico, and law officials had not even bothered to make sure they had all the family while doing so. He has no home, no supervision, nothing.
He's not alone, however. Several other students have come home to find their families gone. Deported. No word. In fact, one student figured out what happened and tried to cross the desert on his own back into Mexico to find his family. He died in the desert. Died. Trying to go back to Mexico.
The truly sad thing is that these stories are not entirely unusual. I've heard of this happening, but not until today had I heard about it on such a close level. It's infuriating. It's disheartening.
After this, a discussion about the $10 million budget cuts followed. Our district takes a $10 mil portion of the $400 mil that the state legislature cut from K-12 across the state.
It's shameful.