By Gloria Ho
DSEA NEA Director
2024 National School Social Worker of the Year
When you walk into my school, you see an enormous two-story, open lobby space. You see a brightly painted yellow slide – a joyous focal point for our nearly 600 students and their families. You see classrooms in a lively, color-themed pod with cheerful student artwork adorning the hallways.
What you don’t see is the fourth grader sitting at his desk with dread in his stomach because his father has been missing for three days. You don’t see the boy cry quietly throughout the day after learning that his father was deported to Guatemala.
As a school social worker, I see how this innocent nine-year-old is overcome with worry over how his mom will pay rent and feed his siblings.
When you walk into my school, you don’t see the second grader holding back tears because an immigration judge will decide whether he can stay in this country and come back to the only school he’s ever known. You don’t see the mother who pulled her child from a vision screening due to her fear of immigration enforcement.
As public educators, we see every student. We see the fear that has entered our classrooms, and we see how national politics and dehumanizing immigration policies are impacting our students and threatening their families.
We see the fear that has entered our classrooms, and we see how national politics and dehumanizing immigration policies are impacting our students and threatening their families.
Educators are expected to support every student who walks through our doors. But our students are getting a different message. They see how some students can be protected and others cannot. And they know that their safety is in jeopardy.
A secure and stable school environment is foundational for students’ academic success and mental well-being. Students cannot learn when they do not feel safe.
There is a lot we cannot control in the current climate; however, district policy has a huge impact on whether our students feel safe, welcome, and loved. Those policies begin with our local school boards, which establish our districts’ values and beliefs, and provide guidance on how we engage with outside agencies.
As a union leader, public educator, and parent, I encourage you to learn more about the school board candidates running in your community, and I urge you to support school board candidates who believe every student deserves access to an education without fear.
A good school board candidate should understand the connections between mental health, safety, and learning. They should be able to connect academic success with school attendance, and they should be willing to uphold the sacred trust and partnership that our schools have with our students’ families and caregivers.
When families and caregivers are afraid to send their children to school, students struggle to learn and educators struggle to form the bonds necessary for students to succeed.
Our schools are more than brick and mortar. They are more than classrooms and playgrounds; they are the glue that binds our community together. For many of our students and their families, schools are safe havens, lifelines, and the one constant they can count on for safety and security.
Please make sure that your choice of school board candidate earns your vote. Make sure they demonstrate a clear willingness to uphold that sacred trust and make sure our schools continue to provide a safe and supportive environment for every student.
