Backpacks and Hoodies: Differences in Perceptions of Caring for Puerto Ricans Displaced by Hurricane Maria

• In Event: 25.031 - Agency, Power, and the Colonial Subject: Educational Experiences of Puerto Ricans Post–Hurricane María

Abstract

In the aftermath of hurricane Maria, Florida’s Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) received approximately 3,500 students from Puerto Rico (PR). They arrived in great need of academic and non-academic supports, and many relied on OCPS to help navigate their educational transitions as they incurred the transitional costs of migration and the trauma of surviving a natural disaster.

The response to the displacement of Puerto Rican families involved quick decision-making by several stakeholders at the state, city, district, and family level. Drawing from interviews with district and school personnel, as well as students and caregivers about families' transitions into Florida and OCPS, we discuss how the perceptions of families' needs varied and shifted as they were interpreted by different stakeholders and how schools’ response and students’ experiences were shaped by these perceptions. Our guiding questions are:
How did differences in perceptions about families’ needs and views about care impact the district and schools' response and students' and caregivers' experiences of transition?

Scholarship on Puerto Rican students suggests that their success is supported by the creation of caring educational spaces (Nieto, 1998; see also Valenzuela, 1999) staffed by professionals who a) understand how the history of PR has shaped the migratory and educational experiences of Puerto Rican families; b) value and capitalize on the cultural practices of Puerto Rican families; c) maintain positive relationships with students and their families; and d) have high expectations of students (Irizarry & Antrop-González, 2013; Author 1, 2014).

A constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and axial coding (Saldana, 2009) were used to analyze the data. Preliminary findings suggest a disconnect between the immediate and tangible ways in which schools enacted care for families, and the forms of care and support that families felt they needed. Schools were diligent in their efforts to provide urgent supplies (e.g. backpacks and school hoodies) to support families’ transitions and encourage a sense of community and belonging. They emphasized that they loved and accepted all students, irrespective of their background or circumstance. They also enacted policies to reduce barriers to enrollment for students arriving without required paperwork. Yet, differences in cultural practices of educational institutions in PR and FL led to some families feeling like their access to the school was limited. For example, families were challenged by the differences in roles and responsibilities of school personnel (e.g. differences in the roles of counselors), cultural expectations regarding family engagement (e.g. talking to school personnel at any time in PR vs. making appointments in FL), and expectations regarding academic rigor and interpersonal relationships (e.g. more approachable teachers in PR vs. more impersonal relationships with teachers in FL). This disconnect in enactment and experiences of care led to some families feeling like the care provided was inadequate.

Given the frequency with which schools in the US receive families displaced by natural disasters- and economic and political crisis-, it is imperative for receiving districts like OCPS to develop better understandings about the expectations and needs for care of displaced families.

Authors

• Enid Marie Rosario-Ramos, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Awilda Rodriguez, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Jennifer Sawada, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Ana Mireya Diaz, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Paula Clasing-Manquian, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor