NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — There is a plan to help address the influx of children of asylum seekers in classrooms around the state.
The State Department of Education is now looking to expand the ability for teachers to get certified in bilingual education.
By the end of last month, 7 News knew that 66 students would be attending Maryvale Central Schools.
As of August 23rd, the Cheektowaga Town Supervisor said more than 220 asylum seekers would be moving to Amherst, including nearly 50 children who would attend Sweet Home Schools.
Amherst leaders said at that time, they would be ready to welcome students to town.
The New York State Education Department is taking a proactive approach to supporting local educational agencies.
7 News' Pheben Kassahun looked through this proposal that is being reviewed by the board of regents to put more teachers in classrooms.
It is a move from the state, designed to help school districts statewide that have either accepted asylum seekers or that have large immigrant populations; districts like Niagara Falls.
"We have a moral and ethical obligation to support those students and give them the best education that they can. They are bonafide Niagara Falls students. We are proud to have them," Niagara Falls City Schools District superintendent, Mark Laurrie said.
The Education Department is proposing to amend requirements for educators to create flexibility so they can more easily obtain supplementary certificates and supplementary bilingual extensions.
Those extensions would enable more teachers to become available to support students who speak English as a Second Language.
The amendment would give candidates the option to either complete the examination requirement for a certificate or the enrollment and educational requirements rather than needing both sets of requirements.
"That is the result of not of Migrants coming to Niagara Falls, but of those students who come to Niagara Falls legally, and through the refugee process who are very behind in their English language," Laurrie said.
Niagara Falls City School District Superintendent Mark Laurrie said out of 7,000 students, more than 200 students in the district are immigrants.
He said within the last five years, the school has grown from having three ESL teachers to 12, and said there can never be enough.
"They bring great diversity and culture to our schools and they are certainly included in our graduation rate and in our New York State testing file, so we want to make sure that we have given them all of their services as we are required to by law," Laurrie said.
The proposed rule would take effect tomorrow through august of next year, but it is expected to be presented to the board of regents for adoption as a permanent rule at its January meeting.
