Motivation: Growing up, I faced immense difficulties transitioning between cultures while studying in Korea and later settling in the United States. This journey taught me firsthand about the hurdles that newcomers face when integrating into a new educational setting. My subsequent volunteering with refugee students in Atlanta further made me aware of the significant challenges these young learners confront, particularly in the crucial first week in a new school environment.

Newcomer students often arrive with limited proficiency in English and little understanding of the American educational system. This unfamiliarity can hinder their learning process, reduce their confidence, and impede their ability to make friends and form valuable social connections. Without adequate support, these students may struggle to acclimate to their new environment, affecting their overall academic success and well-being.

To: Georgia Department of Education, Georgia State Board of Education, and Local Education Agencies (LEAs)

Purpose of the Petition: We urge the State of Georgia to require a standardized, multilingual “Week-One Orientation Pack” for newcomer and refugee students in all public schools. A clear, consistent first-week onboarding process is essential for students who are navigating a new language, a new school system, and often a disrupted educational background. Under Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Georgia has a federal mandate to ensure that English Learners (ELs) and immigrant students achieve English proficiency and meet academic standards. A unified, translated orientation pack is the foundational first step in honoring this mandate and achieving true educational equity.

Why This Matters Now: Georgia’s demographics have shifted profoundly, and our public school systems must adapt. Between 1990 and 2000, Georgia experienced a staggering 381.8% increase in its limited English proficient (LEP) population, followed by continuous rapid growth. Today, 11.6% of Georgia's population is foreign-born, and over 51.4% of these individuals face limited English proficiency.

We are currently seeing a massive surge in refugee arrivals from countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Syria. While Spanish is the most common non-English language—representing 53% of dual language learners—nearly half of our newcomer families speak a diverse array of global languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, Hindi, Swahili, Dari, and Pashto. Our schools can no longer rely on ad-hoc translation methods; they must be structurally prepared to welcome all students from day one.

The Challenge: When families arrive in a new community, the first school week determines whether students feel supported—or immediately lost. Without translated, accessible guidance, parents miss critical prerequisites, leading to avoidable absences, inaccurate course placement, and severe academic setbacks.

• Medical Gatekeepers: Navigating Georgia's strict health requirements acts as a massive hurdle. Students must provide Form 3231 (Immunization) and Form 3300 (Vision, Hearing, Dental, and Nutrition screenings). If families fail to secure these within a 90-day window, students can be unexpectedly withdrawn from school.
• The Digital Divide: Georgia schools rely heavily on digital platforms. Parents must navigate "Infinite Campus" to monitor attendance and grades, and "Canvas" to track daily assignments. However, obtaining an "Activation Key (GUID)" or generating "Pairing Codes" is nearly impossible for parents facing a language barrier.
• Food Insecurity & Truancy: Families often do not know how to use platforms like SchoolCafe to apply for Free and Reduced-Price Meals, accumulating lunch debt before they are even approved. Furthermore, a lack of understanding of Georgia's strict truancy laws—where 10 unexcused absences trigger legal action—puts families at severe risk.

The Solution - What the Week-One Orientation Pack Must Include: To eliminate these systemic barriers, we demand a state-mandated, translated orientation pack that includes:

• Enrollment, Legal Prerequisites & ESOL Rights: Clear, step-by-step guidance on obtaining mandatory health documents (Forms 3231 and 3300) from local health departments. The pack must also explain the federally required Home Language Survey (HLS) and the WIDA Screener process, ensuring parents understand their legal rights regarding English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services.
• Socio-Digital Integration Guides: Multilingual, visual tutorials for setting up and using crucial educational technology. This includes downloading the Infinite Campus parent app for real-time notifications and setting up a Canvas "Observer" account to communicate directly with teachers.
  Nutritional & Economic Stabilization: Step-by-step instructions for managing school meals. This includes applying for Free and Reduced-Price Meals based on Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines, or explaining the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) if the school provides free meals to all students.
• School Culture & Operational Routine: A breakdown of the American school day. This should cover bus transportation logistics (e.g., using "Here Comes the Bus"), state truancy laws, early high school start times (often 7:00 AM), and cultural differences such as the lack of recess in middle schools.
• Community Support Directory: A localized directory connecting families to essential "wrap-around" services from specialized organizations. This includes the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for "HOME Teams" support, Inspiritus for Extended Cultural Orientation, New American Pathways for Bright Futures after-school programs, and the Latin American Association (LAA) for family stabilization.

Call to Action: A statewide requirement would ensure that support does not depend on a family’s English level, a school’s staffing capacity, or a district’s zip code. Every student deserves a fair, dignified start.

Please sign and share this petition to urge the Georgia Department of Education to fund, mandate, and implement the "Multilingual Week-One Orientation Pack." Let’s ensure our first impression is one of educational justice, inclusion, and opportunity, paving the way for the success of every newcomer calling Georgia home.