School and district leaders have been grappling with the varied ripple effects of President Donald Trump’s administration’s fast-paced changes to immigration policies since January, from no longer regarding schools as “protected areas” from immigration enforcement to more aggressive immigration arrests, including of international college students on visas and green cards.
These changes can cause increased anxiety among all students—both immigrants and U.S.-born citizens. And that anxiety is important for educators to address to ensure children can focus on learning, educators have recently told Education Week.
Experts say there are practical strategies educators can employ to support the well-being of all students at a time of uncertainty and stress in a rapidly changing immigration landscape.
Here are four tips education and immigration experts and district leaders shared with Education Week to support all students’ mental health and well-being amid increased immigration enforcement and the anxiety it can cause.
Focus on what you can control
Federal policy is well outside of teachers’ and administrators’ purview, as are the inevitable effects on students and families.
But educators can control what happens in their buildings and classrooms, and that’s where they should focus their attention, said Luma Mufleh, founder of Fugees Family, a national nonprofit that partners with public school districts to better serve refugee and immigrant students.
So much happens outside of school walls that affects students, and they can’t just file it away when they walk into class, Mufleh said. Teachers can help create spaces where they feel appreciated and where they know they belong.
“We’re not in control of immigration policy or practice. We are in control of what goes on in our buildings, and the relationships we build,” Mufleh said.
Pay attention to all students’ stress levels
Educators might try to focus on the emotional well-being of immigrant students and families at this time, but the mental health implications of the mass deportations Trump has called for extend to all students, said Kiara Alvarez, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Bloomberg American Health Initiative, who specializes in youth mental health.
“Youth can really be affected by what’s happening with their peers or what they’re hearing on the news, even if it might not have a direct impact on their lives,” Alvarez said. “They may just be really scared and worried about what’s going to happen to their friends, or what’s going to happen to people in their community.”
It’s not always easy to pinpoint specific students who might be directly affected by deportations. Schools typically don’t collect students’ immigration information.
But millions of children live in mixed-status households, where a parent or other family member might be undocumented. And more than 650,000 undocumented immigrant children were enrolled in U.S. schools as of 2019, according to the Migration Policy Institute’s analysis of U.S. Census data.
Take small steps to build connections and community
There are many benefits when all students feel as if they belong at school.
Research shows that when students feel connected to school, they’re more likely to attend and perform well academically. They’re less likely to misbehave and feel sad and hopeless. Some research has even linked health benefits well into adulthood to a strong sense of connection to school.
Teachers can promote such a sense of belonging by doing simple things, like personally welcoming every student to class or sharing school messages with families in their home languages.
Initiatives to boost school connectedness can include deliberate efforts to ensure that every student has a bond with at least one adult in the building. Schools can also foster connectedness by expanding the array of extracurricular activities—and student roles in existing student organizations—so students have meaningful opportunities to participate in something that corresponds with a personal interest.
There are bigger steps school and district leaders can take, too, like providing dental and vision care at school, helping families write letters to landlords for apartment applications, and hosting information sessions about immigrant rights, educators said.
Clearly establish points of contact for advice and guidance
Neither teachers nor administrators are immigration policy experts, so staff should refrain from giving students and families legal advice, said Nick Polyak, superintendent of the Leyden high school district, near Chicago.
Staff, however, can be trained on what to do if immigration officers arrive on campus—knowing what kind of warrant they need to speak to students, for example, and who on the administrative team to contact if Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers show up.
For non-legal issues, Polyak suggested staff direct any other concerns or inquiries to students’ counselors.
The counselor, when necessary, should bring those concerns up with principals to figure out a response.
