Next week (mid-August), schools in the Los Angeles metropolitan area will start opening for the new school year. Many new immigrant parents are considering enrolling their children in school. On Friday, September 9th, Wu Mengzhen, a member of the Mountain View School District Board of Education, offered her experiences and advice to parents.
Mountain View School District, located in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, encompasses 8 schools serving 5,500 students from kindergarten to 8th grade. Each school provides full-day childcare/preschool services, with the youngest children as small as 6 months old. The district’s school year begins on August 15th, and enrollment is free for all students, regardless of family income, with free breakfast and afterschool programs available.
Wu Mengzhen reminded parents of three categories to be aware of when registering their children and to check related columns during registration.
She explained that immigrant workers from California fruit farms (who may relocate every one or two years), foster or homeless children, as well as children from new immigrant families, should pay attention to the “Newcomer” column during registration. Schools offer special program benefits to children from these families to help them integrate quickly into the American school system.
For new immigrant families from mainland China, some parents might consider sending their children to private schools due to concerns about their legal status. “That’s 100% unnecessary,” Wu Mengzhen said, as some private schools may charge tens of thousands of dollars annually, becoming a heavy burden for parents.
In the US, especially in Southern California, “if you go to school, regardless of whether you have a home, are homeless, or have legal status, we never ask about your status; everyone is entitled to the benefits of education.”
For Chinese immigrant families in need of assistance, most schools in the Mountain View district have Asian community outreach programs that can assist Chinese students.
Seventh and eighth-grade students in the Mountain View district also enjoy a special benefit – free enrollment in community college courses. “By the time they graduate from high school, they can simultaneously obtain an associate degree from a two-year community college and a high school diploma,” Wu Mengzhen explained.
Amid the ongoing Covid-19 situation in Los Angeles, safety measures provided by the Mountain View School District include providing hand sanitizers and masks in every classroom. Students can wear masks in school, and if a student tests positive for the virus, they can learn remotely from home through computer-based classes.
Normally, every child has a vaccination record. School staff may inquire about some vaccines, and for certain vaccines, if parents are unsure whether their child has received them, the school can facilitate free vaccinations.
While US schools strive to protect every student’s safety, parents should still proactively discuss sensitive topics, educate their children, and help them avoid pitfalls of growing up, including social media, sexual activity, drugs, fentanyl, etc. Parents should provide preventive guidance or install parental monitoring software on their children’s computers or phones to prevent negative influences from social media or on their way to and from school.
Understanding drugs is crucial, according to Wu Mengzhen, as she hopes parents actively discuss these issues with their children. Last year, a 15-year-old high school girl in Los Angeles County lost her life after mistakenly ingesting fake fentanyl drugs purchased from social media.
Chinese parents generally avoid discussing sexual education topics with their children. Wu Mengzhen also emphasized that while schools have sexual education programs, parents are encouraged to guide their children and teach them how to protect themselves.
Bullying on campus is another issue parents cannot ignore. Bullying can cause significant harm to a child’s development, and parents should promptly contact their child’s teacher or principal if they notice any signs. Some parents turn to the mayor after their child is bullied, but the results are not always positive. Wu Mengzhen reminded that in the education system, the school district holds the most power and direct responsibility, so it is essential to file complaints according to the educational system’s regulations for effective results.
Of course, parents can directly contact the school district’s Board of Education by phone or email. To ensure timely and effective handling of complaints, Wu Mengzhen advises parents to include the title “Formal Complaint/Uniform Complaint Regarding sth.” in the email subject for bullying-related complaints, making it a formal legal document that the school district is obligated to respond to.
Moreover, some students may struggle to adapt to the routine after an extended break. Wu Mengzhen suggests parents take their children to visit the campus or public library to help them adjust to post-break life. At the beginning of the school year, there is a welcoming breakfast for students, where parents can also attend to familiarize their children with the environment. ◇