Lolita Long, Gleaner US Editor
NEW YORK:
NEARLY 200 Caribbean teachers - mostly Jamaicans and Guyanese - have been given termination letters by the New York Board of Education, as they do not have the required new H-1B visa. The letters were sent out on May 27, with effective dates for end of the school year, June 30.
An emergency meeting was called yesterday by community leaders in New York to find a strategy to deal with the impending exodus of teachers either back to their homeland or the unemployment line.
It was expected that Caribbean elected officials would address the meeting, ironically at one of the schools that could be affected, IS 61, in the heart of the Caribbean community in Brooklyn.
"This demands community and political response as the New York Board of Education is acting with insensitivity. It's cause for great concern, and I believe the options are very limited," said Irwine Claire, one of the architects of the plan to recruit Caribbean teachers into the school system.
Hyacinth Spence, a former president of the Mico Old Students Association, has been a source of inspiration for the teachers since they arrived in the U.S. She was flabbergasted at what was happening and said that, as a 'concerned teacher' she would be reaching out to elected officials and the Union of Federated Teachers (UFT).
A former teacher at Kingston College and who now teaches at a middle school in the Bronx was "totally devastated and disappointed at this predicament." She said that she had followed all the procedures, had received a letter, dated December 13, 2002 indicating that her waiver was under review, then another letter dated May 18, 2004 acknowledging receipt of her request for foreign residency requirement. The last letter followed less than two weeks later bidding her farewell.
"I came here to do a job, I have been doing well at it, and to say leave with little or no notice is really bad. I have no job here or in Jamaica. I guess I will have to leave and try to be recruited again," she told The Sunday Gleaner.
The letter, over the signature of Janpeg Avignon, director, National and International Recruitment, New York City Department of Education, said, "As you are aware, you were recruited during the 2001 school year under the provision of a J-1 visa. As you know the J-1 visa is valid for one year, and was renewed for an additional two years for a total of three years. This is the maximum number of years you may work on a J-1 visa."
With the J-1 visa, a person is allowed to bring a spouse and children. The spouse is allowed to work as a work permit is granted. The H-1B visa does not allow the spouse to work, unless a sponsor is identified.
Procedures were introduced in 2003 to have the teachers' status changed. They were required to apply for the H-1B visa. Several teachers applied for the change in status, waivers were granted, and will not be affected.
"At this time, you have not filed an application to change your status. Since you have not filed this request, your employment with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) will end at the conclusion of this school year. The Office of Recruitment will no longer be processing J-1 to H-1B visa application," the letter went on to explain.
