\u201cAll politics is local,\u201d goes the saying, and it looks like local public school districts will be the political entities dealing most directly with the surge in illegal immigration when classes begin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile politicians spend the summer fighting over how to turn back the tide, school leaders across the country are struggling to absorb a new student population the size of Newark, New Jersey,\u201d reports the Chicago Tribune<\/a>. \u201cMore than 40,000 children, many of them fresh from violent, harrowing journeys, have been released since October to stateside relatives as courts process their cases.\u201d<\/p>\n The issues facing public school personnel include lack of immunizations, emotional distress caused by the trip north and an expected surge in non-English speaking students. The money and manpower required to meet these challenges is immense, but at least as far as local schools are concerned, also worthwhile. No one wants to perpetuate the trauma caused to the children who survive this experience.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to remember that each child is a person deserving of care and assistance, and one hopes that public officials will work with civil society organizations \u2013 including faith-based groups \u2013 to help each child heal.<\/p>\n