Today, the nonprofit ImmSchools announced that it received a grant from the Camden Education Fund to expand to Camden and work with educators in transforming the city’s public schools into safe and welcoming spaces for immigrant and undocumented families.
Beginning this fall, ImmSchools will provide professional development for school staff and work directly with immigrant students and families. The organization was co-founded in 2017 by three formerly undocumented educators, who moved to the United States as children and experienced the stressors and difficulties of living without legal status in the K-12 systems.
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For immigrant families, those stressors have only increased, as the current climate has instilled ongoing uncertainty and distrust, making families less likely to feel safe and comfortable when accessing resources and support within our schools, ultimately impacting their ability to reach their full potential. As an immigrant-led organization, ImmSchools is tapping into the inherent power and expertise of immigrant leaders to launch an organization to work in partnership with schools to become a safe space for students and families. ImmSchools currently works in New York and Texas, home to two of the largest undocumented populations in the country. Camden will be the organization’s first entrance into New Jersey.
“We are thrilled to expand our impact in a city with such a vibrant immigrant community like Camden,” said ImmSchools co-founder and Chief Program Officer Vanessa Luna. “We are grateful to Camden Education Fund and Camden City School District for facilitating this partnership and for their commitment to better serving this often overlooked population. As someone who grew up undocumented, was a former DACAmented teacher and was the first person in my family to go to college, I have a deep commitment to support the needs of our immigrant community in our schools. Our team can’t wait to begin working with educators in Camden to support them,” she said.
Across New Jersey, there are 43,000 undocumented children enrolled in K-12 schools. 1 in 11 children are living with undocumented parents.
It is this reality that drove Camden School Board Member Falio Leyba-Martinez to build ImmSchools’ partnership with the District. Over the last six months, Leyba-Martinez worked with leadership from ImmSchools, Camden City School District, and Camden Education Fund to launch the partnership. The District now has 8-10 sessions planned with ImmSchools this year.
“I’m proud to be able to use my position as a board member to push city schools to become more inclusive spaces for all students. The stakes are high to get this right because the undocumented population is so vulnerable. ImmSchools has the expertise to provide educators with the right tools to tackle these complex and sensitive issues,” said Falio Leyba-Martinez.
ImmSchools sessions will begin with schools in October and include: creating a safe school environment for undocumented students, culturally responsive practices and curriculum, and college access for undocumented students, among others. The workshops are open to district, charter, and renaissance schools and are fully funded by Camden Education Fund.
“We are thrilled to support ImmSchools in bringing their engaging and actionable workshops to Camden. With 1 in 7 Camden residents foreign-born and nearly half speaking Spanish at home, it is essential that we find ways to effectively and compassionately reach our immigrant and undocumented youth. Camden’s educators are committed to making all students feel safe and welcome, and soon they will have new tools to help students confidently apply to college, pursue financial aid, and most importantly, feel valued in the school community,” said Naeha Dean.
ImnmSchools has hired two people to lead their work in Camden and has plans to grow to support districts across New Jersey.
Already, the organization can point to evidence that their presence is creating real change.
Shortly after Luna shared with Leyba-Martinez that some districts were adopting resolutions to create safe environments for immigrant students, Leyba-Martinez introduced a Safe Zone resolution to the Camden School Board. It was approved in May 2020. The resolution, among other things, makes explicit that faculty and staff do not have to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on school grounds.
“The resolution was a small but meaningful action, and now that ImmSchools is here, I am confident that Camden will soon be an exemplar for how schools can best support their immigrant students,” said Leyba-Martinez.
By: Agencies
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