Partnership Offers Support to Binational Students

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The San Diego Unified School District has partnered with the Department of Education of Baja California and the Mexican Consulate to create a program to help American students who transfer to schools in Mexico.
The cross-border partnership between the three agencies will provide resources and support so students can better cope and succeed in their new school environment.
The program will include resources such as, cross-border curriculum support, U.S.- Mexico teacher collaborations, new arrivals student mentorship and welcome programs, parent workshops, and cross-border instructional visits.
The international partnership comes at an important moment for both countries, as the Mexican state of Baja California is welcoming large numbers of U.S.-born students.
Over the past six months, more than 1,200 U.S. born students between the ages of 6 and 15 have enrolled in schools in the state of Baja. The Department of Education of Baja California reports that there are currently 55,404 U.S. born students receiving their education within Baja California schools.
“We want children to have access to education in Mexico and the United States, specially on this time of uncertainty and fear in the nation,” said consul general of the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, Marcela Celorio. “The students that transfer from the U.S. to Mexico are not used to the Mexican school system and with this program they can have the support they need.” 
Parent deportation, financial distress, parent work schedules, and family emergencies are just some of the reasons students may be obligated to engage in a cross-border education. There are many cases where U.S. born students must leave their schools in the United States and enter into a school in which they do not speak or comprehend the language. 
“We know that our children sometimes have to leave San Diego and go across the border for months or years at the time for reasons beyond their control,” said San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten. “We don’t want to harm children in their education just because their family has to make the choice to move to Mexico.” 
San Diego Unified will identify three sister schools that will be first to participate in the cross-border program. The Department of Education of Baja California will also identify three schools in Baja California to be part of the program. 
The program is planned to run for the first time on the 2017-2018 school year. 
“Students can get behind for up to four months,” said Baja California’s Secretary of Education, Miguel Angel Mendoza Gonzalez about U.S. born students who transfer from San Diego to Tijuana. “This program will help the students to move forward in their social and academics life. We want to create an environment where the students can feel safe and rapidly learn the Mexican culture.” 
The cross-border partnership was announced during Mexico’s observance of Children’s Day, an annual holiday to honor and celebrate children.