New York City public schools are set to open next week with nearly 19,000 new homeless students – a reflection of the migrant crisis’ effect on the education system, officials from the Adams administration said Wednesday.
Schools Chancellor David Banks said in a briefing on the asylum seeker crisis that the students, who have enrolled in public schools since last year, are living in the city’s temporary housing system made up of homeless shelters and hotels. The Education Department does not track students’ immigration status, but the vast majority of newcomers are believed to be migrants.
“Our focus remains undeterred on the education, well-being and holistic development of every student that steps into a New York City public school, regardless of where they come from or the language that they speak at home,” Banks said.
There are more than 3,400 teachers in the city’s public schools certified to teach English as a new language. At least 1,700 other teachers are fluent in Spanish, Banks said.
Those numbers are not a significant increase compared to figures reported by Gothamist in December, when educators said the school system was scrambling to meet migrant students’ basic needs. At that time, teachers described relying on bilingual students or translation apps to communicate with migrant kids.
“I’ve visited schools where I’ve seen other students – third and fourth graders – who are interpreting for other classmates,” Banks said at the briefing.
His comments came on the same day Chalkbeat reported that some migrant families are encountering difficulties enrolling in school due to inexperienced shelter operators, language barriers and staffing challenges.
Mayor Eric Adams recently estimated the migrant crisis will cost the city $12 billion by 2025.
There are more than 111,500 people currently in the city’s homeless shelter system – including more than 59,400 asylum seekers as of Aug. 27, officials said. On average, more than 10,000 people…
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