Raimond Spekking

Drehscheibe Köln-Bonn Airport – Ankunft Flüchtlinge 5. Oktober 2015

The migrant crisis occurring in Massachusetts is leaving a large impact on the local school districts as well. The migrant families that have settled into these communities, and these children deserve to be able to have an education. 

In West Springfield, there have been around 100 migrant families that are living in hotels, adding students to the local school systems. The cost to add these students to the school system is more than $20,000. 

The number of families living in emergency hotels and shelters statewide has gone up double the amount, and recently has gone up to nearly 6,300 a week. The cost of living has gone up to an estimated $45 million per month. Officials say that many of the migrants in the shelters have recently arrived from other countries. 

The state of Massachusetts has also decided to house migrants in two different colleges as well as areas on the Cape Cod Military base. They have opened two welcome centers for the migrants when they arrive. At the centers, 10 new families show up everyday, and the goal they have is to assess the migrants’ health from the help of nurses at the centers.

The migrant families that are coming to Western Massachusetts are looking for shelter at Westfield State University and it’s still remaining up in the air. If the plan does go through, Westfield Public schools are gonna have to prepare for this. 

Westfields superintendent says they have the resources to school these kids, and the district is looking into what they have to have for the children to have effective learning services for the migrant childrens and their families. From the months of August and September there have been 64 children that have to learn English that have been enrolled into the Westfield Public Schools. 

Many other places have offered their help, for example Catholic Charities agencies have offered their help for the migrant families with learning English classes and other resources for families that are arriving. Buckley-Brawner from the agency has also said that if the plan does go through with the migrant families staying at Westfield State University they will also begin helping families find more permanent housing and rental assistance for them.