To Governor Gavin Newsom,

The Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors and the undersigned urgently demand you to declare a state of emergency regarding the ongoing child welfare and attendance crisis affecting our schools. The impending “Norm Day” threatens to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities by potentially leading to school closures and teacher displacements, primarily due to declining student enrollment. This situation violates the fundamental rights of children to receive quality education and disrupts stable school environments.

We urge you to abolish “Norm Day” to allow for the implementation of strategic measures that prioritize student welfare and ensure educational equity in our communities.

We are dealing with a child welfare and attendance crisis.

As a state renowned for its diversity and dedication to educational equity, our current socio-political climate poses unprecedented challenges that require your immediate intervention. Immigrant and low-income families are facing more critical barriers that prevent their access to quality education.

The complexities surrounding the ability of low-income household parents, foster youth or unhoused families have reached alarming levels. Recent statistics reveal that hundreds of students have either not returned to school or suffered from severe absenteeism due to factors tied to fear of deportation, familial instability, and socioeconomic hardships.

This child welfare crisis is not simply an administrative inconvenience; it is a humanitarian issue that demands our collective attention. Education is a fundamental human right, and the systemic barriers students within this groups face undermine this principle, locking them out of the opportunities that California promises.

Your declaration of a state of emergency would serve a dual purpose: it would safeguard the well-being of vulnerable immigrant students and counteract the detrimental effects of educational disenfranchisement.

The forthcoming implementation of "Norm Day" threatens to entrench these vulnerabilities further. Norm Day operates on an antiquated model that bases district funding and staffing levels on a snapshot in time that fails to reflect the dynamic realities of our schools today. The repercussions are dire—this mechanism would effectively lock these immigrant students into under-resourced classrooms without the necessary support tailored to their unique needs.

It is essential to remember that many of these children have endured unimaginable journeys prior to arriving in California. They have faced trauma that is often invisible but profoundly impacts their ability to engage in their education. By proceeding with "Norm Day," we risk compounding their struggles, denying them equitable access to educational resources, and overwhelming our teachers and staff who are already operating at capacity.

This approach does not only threaten individual futures; it jeopardizes the very fabric of our society by perpetuating cycles of poverty and marginalization.

In conclusion, we call upon you to address this child welfare crisis and act decisively and declare a state of emergency to support families in California. This is a pivotal moment for our state, and your actions will determine whether we rise to the occasion or allow bureaucratic rigidity to dictate the fate of our most vulnerable residents. Abolish Norm Day NOW!

The students of California deserve better; they deserve an education system that embraces them as full participants in our society.

Let us not fail them.

Sincerely,

Ofelia Sofia Ryan 

Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors

President