Advocacy group provides data and resources for Latino students impacted by the pandemic

An advocacy group for North Carolina Latinos held a recent event showcasing a report on the impact of COVID-19 on children’s education. The Association of Mexicans in North Carolina INC. (AMEXCAN) introduced parents to a study on how Latino children are doing after the pandemic, addressed mental health concerns, and provided attendees with information on resources available in schools. 

Parents at the workshop expressed concerns about the language barrier between parents and teachers. They feel this affected their child’s performance in school and their grades. Some even got held back or had to attend summer school. 

Panelist Jenice Ramirez with Education Justice Alliance says that a lot of Latino kids didn’t have access to the internet and couldn’t get the extra tutoring they needed from parents because English is their second language. 

"Why does that matter today? That matters a lot because when we see statistics of where Latino kids and kids in rural areas are — in places where there weren't enough people to translate, access the internet, or enough resources — we see their performance levels are lower than what they’re supposed to be," says Ramirez.

She says there’s also a concern about the growing population of Latinos in the state and not enough translators in public schools, and urges parents to demand public schools in the state make information available in other languages. 

This story was produced by a partnership between WFDD and La Noticia. 

Eileen Rodriguez is a reporter for both WFDD and La Noticia through Report for America, where she covers COVID-19's impact in the Latino Communities.

Periodista de La Noticia y 88.5 WFDD, Eileen Rodríguez reporta el impacto de COVID-19 en la comunidad Latina en Carolina del Norte. Rodríguez es miembro del cuerpo de periodistas de Report for America 2021-2022