Refugee Influx Continues to Challenge School System

The continuing influx of refugees into the DeKalb County School System–and the North Druid Hills-Briarcliff area–remains a challenge for local educators, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

While the number of refugees remain only about 3 percent of the system, that group is growing fast. The county enrolled more than 2,600 students in June – a 150 percent increase from the 2006-07 school year, according to the paper.

Related issues have also challenged educators in our community. An anecdote from the International Student Center on North Druid Hills Road:

On a recent afternoon at DeKalb’s International Student Center, a boy from Eritrea had to be pulled from class. He calmed down after some reassuring words in the hallway from assistant principal Varavarnee Vaddhanayana.

He sometimes fidgets or throws pencils, she said later. She thinks he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Some of them adjust well,” Vaddhanayana said. “Some of them don’t adjust at all. So we work with them.”

North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch columnist Claudia Keenan also wrote about refugee education here in the community. Here are some of her columns, if you're interested: