CHEEKTOWAGA, NY (WKBW) — Some of the asylum seekers here in Erie County have school-age children and that means efforts are underway to help migrant students head to a classroom this September.
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley checked in with school districts in Cheektowaga where asylum seekers are living in hotels.
“And I have about 66 students that I expect to enroll in our district within the next few weeks,” explained Joseph D’Angelo, superintendent, Maryvale School District.
Maryvale School Superintendent D’Angelo tells me plans are underway in his district to welcome those 66 students from pre-k through 12th grade, who come from families seeking asylum, but most are not expected to speak English.
“Our ENL staff are going to have to test them and assess their levels prior to providing services and what we’ve been working on now is scheduling, and class placement, so we can provide those services to the new students as well as our existing ENL students,” D’Angelo described.
"How is New York State Ed or New York State, for that for that matter, providing any assistance, financially, for the school districts taking these children in?” Buckley asked.
“The first concern is, as an educator, is taking care of the children, but I’m also accountable to the taxpayers and I take that very seriously. And these are unanticipated costs that we didn't budget for and frankly, I haven't any communication with the state or New York City on how we are going to be reimbursed for any expenses,” replied D’Angelo.
The New York State Education Department sent me a statement saying it has "offered to be a conduit between school districts that are interested in serving these incoming students", however, it "cannot provide districts with information on individual prospective students and unfortunately does not exercise control over the availability of emergency funds."
This is the full statement from NYSED:
"The State Education Department has offered to be a conduit between school districts that are interested in serving these incoming students and New York City as they look to place these families. We are offering whatever assistance we can to the City and districts where these students are being placed. We are examining the process of identifying students for placement in ELL programs with an eye toward providing more flexibility to schools and districts. We are also working closely with BOCES, districts, and schools to explore the development of tools they can use to best support the students, including technical assistance and support. This includes looking at other barriers that schools and districts may face towards supporting English language learners new to their communities. The Department cannot provide districts with information on individual prospective students and unfortunately does not exercise control over the availability of emergency funds. You may wish to contact the Governor's Office or the US Department of Education for additional information on this."
A spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul's office issued the following statement in response to districts enrolling migrant students:
"Since asylum seekers first began arriving in New York last year, Governor Hochul has worked closely with City officials to provide funding and support. We are grateful to the State Education Department for convening City and State stakeholders to discuss best practices for the school year ahead, and will review any guidance they issue as the school year approaches."
The Maryvale superintendent tells me he is working closely with Erie 1 BOCES and the Erie County Health Department. All the students must have required vaccinations to attend school.
“It's so close to the beginning of school — a lot of unknown questions, and I was saying this kind of reminds me of the COVID years, where you don't have a lot of information, and the information that you do have changes constantly, so that's been the challenge,” noted D’Angelo.
“Are you worried about how the students will be welcomed by other students and teachers for that matter in the community? Cheektowaga for the most part is diverse. How do you think they will be accepted?” Buckley questioned.
“We are a very diverse community, and we welcome diversity, and my view is that diversity enriches all of us and I am not concerned in the least, by any of our staff. I think our students will be very welcoming as well,” responded D’Angelo. “I understand it's a politically charged issue, and taking all the politics out of it, my first concern is taking care of these children, who didn't ask to be put in this situation, and I think our role is to provide them stability and the best education that we can.”
Maryvale is one of five school districts in Cheektowaga where more than 500 asylum seekers were brought to three Cheektowaga hotels.
But the Cleveland Hill School District, Cheektowaga Sloan, and Depew School districts all tell me they have not been asked at this time to enroll the students and Cheektowaga Central School District has yet to get back to me.
Erie 1 BOCES also issued a statement to 7 News on its work to help students attend school:
"At Erie 1 BOCES, we take great pride in our role as an educational service provider and an intermunicipal convener. We are fulfilling that role by collaborating with our component school districts, Erie County and the New York State Department of Education to prepare to support the current asylum-seeking school-aged children and multi-language learners. Our region is committed to providing high quality public education to those in our care. At this time, we are identifying resources and seeking regulatory flexibility options to ensure we can achieve our mission and fulfill the requirements of New York State." Michael Capuana, Ed.D. District Superintendent of Erie 1 BOCES
