11/07/2024
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Columbus Independence HS teachers overwhelmed amid 'unprecedented' influx of Haitian students
By Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch, 10 hrs ago
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Teachers at Independence High School told Columbus City school board on Wednesday that their school resources are being stretched thin by what an administrator said was an "unprecedented" influx of Haitian Creole-speaking students.
Teachers told the board and The Dispatch that the student population at Independence High School, located on Columbus' Southeast Side, has soared from around 600 to nearly 900 students. They said the majority of new enrollments have come from immigrant communities or disciplinary transfers of students from other schools.
Kelsey Gray, an Independence High School teacher, said that while the district has provided some assistance for the school with additional teachers, more help is needed. She said school employees at their breaking points sent emails en masse to board members last month because they "are drowning and weren't getting any help."
"There have been a lot of district administrators in my classroom in the past couple of weeks, and I would really like to stand here and say they've been there to support, but it feels they are there to intimidate and criticize," Gray said.
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Deputy Superintendent Kathryn Moser said during the meeting that the district has closed enrollment at Independence High School. She said she had an opportunity to visit and hear firsthand from staff about the challenges facing the school.
"Independence (High School) experienced an unprecedented influx of students, many of whom are Haitian Creole, and this is similar to what we are seeing in some other cities in Ohio," Moser said.
Immigrants from Haiti in Ohio have become a flashpoint in national discourse since September after now President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance spread baseless rumors that Haitian immigrants in the Dayton suburb of Springfield were eating dogs, cats and wildlife. Local officials have consistently refuted those rumors, which resulted, in part, from misinformation posted on social media.
Moser said that Columbus Global Academy is full as of this week, and West High School also may need reallocation of resources to accommodate an influx of new students. The district has already added administrative support at Independence High School, added three teachers and delivered additional furniture and computers to the school.
Board President Christina Vera said the board supports the staff and students of Independence High School and thanked "everybody that's putting their arms" around the school as it manages growth.
"We recognize that this is also going to impact other school buildings," Vera said. "Growth is a good thing, but we need to be able to support that growth. ... We obviously want to be able to talk about the strategies that the district is going to be able to do to support that growth."
Independence High teachers: We need more help
During the public comment portion of the school board meeting, five Independence High School teachers spoke out on the situation at the school, saying they needed more resources to deal with an increased English Language Learner (ELL) population and additional security to manage a raised level of disciplinary issues from disciplinary transfer students.
Courtney Bryant, an ELL teacher, said more English education resources are desperately needed for a school now working to educate "students who have never been educated before, who aren't literate in their own language, who have had to cross borders."
"We all know what's going on with the Haitian Creole population coming here too, and the trauma they're going through now is some of the political rhetoric," Bryant said.
She said the Independence High needed an additional math teacher and a bilingual instructional assistant that speaks Spanish or Haitian Creole.
"When I have students, 44 to a room, it's just not fair to me — it's not fair to them," Bryant said.
Traci Johnson, another Independence High teacher, said the district needed to do better to manage the "glaring" inequities caused at the school by the influx of new students.
"As a teacher who is feeling more burned out, the kind of burned out right before spring break and you need a vacation, I can't help but feel slighted," Johnson said. "This disparity is a significant failure to meet the needs of our students."
However, teacher Gray commended Vera and board members Sarah Ingles and Jennifer Adair for taking the time to address each of the emails that 37 school employees sent to the board about the situation.
"Christina Vera is the only district adult that has ever come into my room in four years that's actually been there for the kids," Gray said. "In my opinion, board president Vera's decisions are based on what's best for students, because she truly cares about them, and I think she cares about the staff, too."
Haitian migrants flashpoint issue in 2024 election
Republicans, including Senator Vance , now vice president-elect, made Springfield, Ohio's growing Haitian population a major issue in the presidential race. Vance helped spread the rumor on social media about pets and wildlife being eaten, which has been repeatedly refuted by local officials .
Trump raised the rumors, which had initially surfaced on social media, in the September presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Since then, there have been threats against the Haitian immigrants in that city.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has previously said the influx of immigrants in Springfield has posed challenges to the city, including taking a toll on resources, but the migrants have also contributed to the local community and economy.
Last year, the city of Columbus helped relocate more than 800 people at the Colonial Village apartment complex off Livingston Avenue, the majority of whom were Haitian immigrants that were part of an alleged human trafficking scheme, The Dispatch previously reported .
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Independence HS teachers overwhelmed amid 'unprecedented' influx of Haitian students
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