School News

7th Graders' Call-to-Action

Sign our petition for a better OSHA website, more regulators, and more protection for children.

Fast Facts:
  • There are kids who don't have the opportunity to go to school because they are working in the fields to support their family. They dream of another life they could never have. A life of freedom.1
  • OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Association) has received budget cuts. They have fewer regulators now than in 1981, even though there are more than twice as many worksites needing regulatory oversight.2
  • The OSHA website, designed to inform minors of the laws governing their employment and their rights as child-workers, is neither child-friendly in its language, nor accessible in other languages.3
References:

(1) Romano, R. (Director). 2010. The Harvest (La cosecha) [Video file]. Shine Global.

(2) Semuels, Alana. 2014. "How Common is Child Labor in the US?" The Atlantic. Dec 15. Accessed on January 8, 2018: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/...

(3) U.S. Department of Labor: OSHA. "Youth in Agriculture." Accessed on January 8, 2018: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/youth/agric....


New 7th Grade Spanish Unit Inspires Students to Take Action

 
7th graders recently completed a new unit on immigration and migrant workers’ rights developed this summer by Middle School Spanish Teachers Sara Hodges and Coleman Rose. Specifically, students learned about the political and economic decisions world leaders make that serve as a driver for people to migrate. Incorporating this unit into the Spanish curriculum seemed like a "natural fit," says Coleman. Not only were students practicing new Spanish vocabulary, reading, and writing, but they were impassioned by what they were learning. Coleman responded to his students’ interest by giving them the chance to act on the “injustices they had read about." Joined by a few students from Sarah’s class, Coleman’s students split up into two teams to devise their projects.

Inspired by their reading of Esperanza by Carol Gaab, Ava Gorman's team (Madeleine Freedburg, Masara Busette-Ranck, Liliana Costello-Wiginton, Arielle Edberg, Maria Gonzales Fitzpatrick, Tenaya Lin, Julian Moses, Elise Robertson, Amos Steinglass, and Dylan Thiess) focused their efforts on immigrants' rights. Through class discussions, they learned that many illegal immigrants who are detained and charged with a crime are not provided legal counsel. These immigrants can be deported and separated from their families with no warning. "Some get deported for shoplifting," Julian said, "yeah or parking infractions," added Ava. The students considered these circumstances for deportation unjust and searched for an organization that helps immigrants receive proper representation.

Coleman spoke to the group about the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition where he has volunteered as a translator. CAIR Coalition’s mission is to provide legal services and education to immigrants, as well as provide training for attorneys specializing in immigration and criminal justice. With this direct connection, the team quickly decided to hold a bake sale to raise money for CAIR Coalition. In just two days the group raised over $600. They are now reaching out to the CAIR Coalition in hopes of getting a representative to speak to the Middle School about the organization's mission.

The other team led by Alex Moses (Jake Bizzell, Evan Wilson, Nicholas Rackoff, Benu Edwards, and Nina Speyer) chose to create an awareness campaign about child labor laws for migrant workers. From the documentary La Cosecha students learned about migrant families who try to sustain their families on as little as $17,000 a year. The students were surprised to find out that to make ends meet, many mothers and fathers have their children work alongside them. In the film, some of these children were as young as 11-years-old. The team decided to create a silent film to draw attention to the problem and to circulate a petition to send to lawmakers addressing their concerns.

For those working on the petition, researching child labor laws was eye-opening. Benu was tasked with analyzing how easily an immigrant could navigate the Department of Labor's website and understand their rights. "I was shocked," said Benu. "This is annoying if you want to know information about your rights. You can't see it or get to it," he explained.

Evan and Jake supplemented Benu's analysis with facts and figures on current child labor regulations for farm work. Legally, children under 16-years-old are to work only during non-school hours. They discovered that with fewer regulators visiting these farms there are less guarantees that owners are managing their farms correctly and providing the basic necessities for these workers. They are sending out a call-to-action urging lawmakers to pass laws that protect children from working on farms and provide them with an education. They also want the government to make information about current laws and protections more accessible to immigrants, especially those who speak other languages.

Naturally, learning a new language brings the opportunity to explore new cultures. Not only did these students build their understanding and appreciation for differences, but they were given a chance to become advocates. Upon reflecting on their experience, some students remarked on the luxury they have to choose what they want to do with their time and the opportunity they get to go to school and learn. Others said they felt fortunate for the things they have like new clothes and video games to play. "I must have gotten really lucky," Jake said.

The students have included the following articles for more information:

Could a 7-year-old have picked the food you’re eating? The law says no. Workers say yes. (2017) http://www.newsobserver.com/news/busi...
 
US May Ax Regulations and Allow Kids to Work with Pesticides. (2018) https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/01/12/u...

Kids deal with vomiting, burning eyes working on tobacco farms. (2014) https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/17/health...

Who's Picking Your Berries? Feds Find Young Children on Strawberry Farms. (2011) http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/feds-fi...
Lowell School is a private PK-8th grade school located in NW Washington, DC. Our mission is to create an inclusive community of lifelong learners in which each individual is valued and respected.