Migrant students bused in from the border make Montgomery County their new home

ROCKVILLE, Md. — After decades of receiving immigrant students into the public school system, Montgomery County is pivoting their efforts to address the arrival of migrant families bused in from Texas and Arizona.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) says so far they have enrolled 1,500 international students for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

The Director of International Enrollment and Admissions at MCPS Margarita Bohorquez says that on average the school system has been enrolling an estimated 2,000 immigrant students. "About 65% of the families are coming south of the border and lately a lot of those are coming on the buses," she told WUSA9.

The first step for all immigrant students seeking to attend public school in Montgomery County is the MCPS Welcome Center located in Rockville. Newcomer Transition Coordinator Oscar Alvarenga, who runs the location, says that in the last two years they have centralized an array of services to address the specific needs of immigrant families. 

Beyond enrolling the students into school, other agencies and non-profit groups are connecting families with access to medical care, social services, and even education for parents. 

"How can we make sure that our families aren't falling in the gaps and holes, finding themselves in silos," Alvarenga told WUSA9. He says having all the support under one roof and providing assistance without the need of an appointment eliminates some of the barriers migrant families face. 

"The buses coming in from Texas and Arizona, has been a change in the way we operate. A lot of families are in shelters, hotels, they are in motel," Alvarenga told WUSA9. He says staff members will travel to the temporary shelters to enroll students, which a strategy they started adopting when refugee families from Afghanistan and Ukraine first started to arrive. 

"Some of our families have gone through the Darien Gap, the next steps are going to be much easier because we have things in place," Alvarenga added. 

Montgomery County's community response to the arrival of migrant children has been recognized by UNICEF and the Migration Policy Institute. A 2021 initiative called Bienvenidos, addressed the record high levels of unaccompanied children arriving primarily from Central America. 

"The group of people coming changes, but we have been getting immigrants for decades," Bohorquez said. 

The majority of the families arriving on buses to Montgomery County are from Venezuela and Colombia, but the school system is also seeing an uptick in students from Haiti and Ethiopia, according to Bohorquez. 

"We are really looking at the assets they are bringing. Honoring the education that they are bringing. Not knowing English yet, is not a barrier," Bohorquez explained the shift that she says MCPS has adopted towards international students. 

Bohorquez says students are assessed for the English proficiency, but they are not placed below their grade level simply because they do not know English.

Honoring a student's education from their home country and not putting them behind is just one way MCPS is addressing issues like chronic absenteeism. About 27%, or 43,000 students were reportedly chronically absent last school year. Hispanic, Black, and low-income students had higher rates, according to data released this year.

International students' mental health is also evaluated by counselors like Norca Yarborough. "Many of our students as you know come from very traumatic, difficult backgrounds," Yarborough said. 

At an elementary school level, she says some children are experiencing separation anxiety, while middle and high schoolers are dealing with absenteeism, substance abuse, and suicide. 

"It's important for us to acknowledge that and ensure they have the right supports so they are successful academically," Yarborough added. 

The mental health support provided to the students is continued throughout the school year, according to Yarborough.

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