Fresno’s Syrian students need to tell their stories and heal

Coming from death, economic hardship and violence, that much of our minds could not fathom, is the current plight many Syrian refugees have and still face. Despite coming from such turbulent conditions, many Syrians are still hopeful in calling America their forever home.

For instance, much of this hope comes from the opportunities they will be given here. For some Syrians, just being able to enroll their children into schools is a simple opportunity that war-driven Syria has not allowed them to do in years. Consequently, many Syrians will continue enrolling into Fresno Unified School District, as many more Syrians arrive into Fresno.

Due to this, Superintendent Michael Hanson has mentioned accommodations will be necessary in assisting many of the current and future Syrian students. In particular Fresno Unified should pay special attention to providing better English as a second language services, and mental health services for Syrian students.

Although the majority of schools have counselors or psychologists, we must ensure that they are readily available to students. Mental health services will allow students to tell their stories and heal. Better ESL services will include translators, if needed, but mainly ensuring students can learn English so they can thrive.

This story was originally published November 12, 2016 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Fresno’s Syrian students need to tell their stories and heal."