May 2004 — Web/Net
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Special Education Migrant Students and the Need for a National Migrant Student Tracking Database
The purpose of special education is to provide equal access to education for all students within the least restrictive learning environment. Because of new laws, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, educators are legally and ethically required to make sure that all students have the opportunity to receive an education that will empower them to reach their potential. Unfortunately, there are many students who tend to fall through the cracks of our education system. One group in particular includes the children who are classified as migrant students with c'existent disabilities.
Historically, there have been many barriers for children with learning disabilities. And the laws that have been enacted within the last 25 years have resulted in many more children gaining the services they need to be successful.
However, migrant children are severely impacted on all fronts. One of the "most needy groups [includes] migrant students who transfer from school district to school district, within or between states, accompanying their parents on a quest for seasonal employment" (Lozano-Rodriguez 1999). Migrant students who are disabled have severe complications because of their poverty, lack of healthcare and transiency. In the past, migrant students have been overlooked due to the lack of information sharing between "regular, migrant and special educators" (Lozano-Rodriguez 1999).
In addition, their transiency d'es not lend itself to the complicated referral process in the special education arena, which has only compounded the problem. Today, there is still a significant number of migrant students who have learning disabilities, but who have not been assessed because of their frequent moves. If these students do have active Individual Education Plans (IEPs), their information may not be effectively conveyed to the next school of enrollment. This results in an inability for the education system to keep track of migrant students and a failure to provide consistency in their education.
Although migrant workers are prevalent in California - sometimes described as the state's "hidden gold" - it is not the only state in the nation that has a large population of migrant workers. These "people are rarely seen or heard from in our society - yet are heavily depended on to nourish our economy and to provide food for our families" (ETN 2002). Migrant workers and their families provide us with nourishment, yet live in deplorable conditions. This group d'es not achieve equal access to health care and education. While our children are fed by their diligent work in the fields, their children are not being fed academically.
Equal Access to Education
Because the children of migrant workers move from school to school and state to state, it is very difficult to provide them with equal access to education. The situation is further complicated by the lack of a truly national database of migrant students. There is currently no effective coordination of services for migrant students on a national level. The ability for a school to have access to a student's history is even more necessary when migrant children have special education needs.
