Afghan Refugee Students Find Support At Fairfax County Schools

ANNANDALE, VA — As Afghan refugees who arrived to the U.S. settle in Fairfax County and enroll in schools, they will find students that were in the same shoes.

Fairfax County Public Schools has seen over 80 Afghan students enroll as refugee families arrived at Dulles International Airport, some deciding to stay in Fairfax County permanently. Annandale High School alone has six new refugee students.

Some of Annandale High School's students came from Afghanistan themselves in previous years and can share their experiences with the new refugees.

Sosan Barakzai, now a sophomore who came from Afghanistan as a fifth grader, says many of their high school peers have been English Language Learners, and that it's ok to ask questions.

Barakzai was 10 when she enrolled at Bren Mar Park Elementary. She recalled being unfamiliar with going to school with boys and being encouraged by teachers even when she wasn't yet fluent in English.

"Everything is different about school here. Some of it was quite shocking to me, but I never felt uncomfortable," Barakzai told the FCPS communications team.

The six refugee students at Annandale High School are just a fraction of the more than 80 Afghan students who have enrolled at Fairfax County Public Schools across the district since U.S. troops pulled out of Afghanistan, and planes carrying hundreds of refugee families landed at nearby Dulles Airport. Many refugee families found temporary shelter at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, and some made the decision to remain in Fairfax County permanently.

Another Annandale student, junior Ahsanullah Luddin, came from Afghanistan about 18 months ago. He expressed appreciation for teachers who called him sweetheart and checked in on him at home, noting the difference from the typical Afghan teacher-student relationship. Students also lent a helping hand, including a neighbor who came over to do homework so he could understand American classroom expectations.

"They showed me how to do assignments, turn things in and how to even find my classes," Luddin told the FCPS communications team.

Sisters Ahsanullah, Sosan, and Khujasta and Husna Basiri who came from Afghanistan last year, are compiling a guide for staff on ways to help refugee students get adjusted.

"The minute someone walks through our door, we aim to have someone who escorts them, hopefully can communicate with them in their home language and makes them feel welcomed," said Annandale High School Principal Shawn DeRose. "Annandale, given our diversity, given our location, we seem to be a microcosm of anything that is happening in the world. There are obviously academic needs, language needs that we are prepared to address, but also so many students who come to us may have experienced some significant trauma, so we are trying to meet their social-emotional and wellness needs as well."

Other schools are adjusting to help welcome the refugees. Parklawn Elementary in the Lincolnia area has enrolled at least 19 Afghan students in recent weeks, the most of any FCPS school.

Parklawn staff will try to address the needs of refugee students through their trauma-based instruction training and advice from school psychologists. Counselors plan to do regular check-ins and lunch bunches with students as they adjust.

The school staff helps families by directing uninsured families to a free clinic to address medical needs. A family liaison welcomes families and provides resources for food, clothing, school supply assistance and more as needed.

The school is also placing refugee students in classes where there may be another Afghan student or another child who speaks the same language. Around 96 of the school's approximate 800 students come from Afghanistan.

"We see children holding the hands of the new students walking to the playgrounds, it is really heart-warming," said Parklawn Principal Rebecca Forgy. "Honestly, our children are so welcoming and familiar with diversity already, I am not sure they have the sense that anybody is standing out, it is just another new person joining us."

This story originates from the FPCS blog.