“Survival Mode Is Turned On”: South Carolina Educators Report Changes in Multilingual Learners’ Well-Being

Based on a survey of 117 educators, multilingual learners and immigrant students across South Carolina are experiencing increased anxiety, disrupted attendance, and declining engagement, while teachers report limited guidance on how to support them.

April 13, 2026

Educators across South Carolina are reporting noticeable shifts in the well-being, attendance, and academic engagement of multilingual learners and immigrant students, according to a new survey conducted by the South Carolina Multilingual Learner Educator Network (SCMLE).

The survey, which included 117 respondents representing a range of roles including ESL teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, and support staff, points to widespread changes affecting multilingual and immigrant students over the past year.

A majority of educators, 78.4%, said they have observed changes in the emotional well-being of their multilingual learners and immigrant students. Of those, 22.4% described the changes as significant or extreme. Teachers reported that concerns about family safety and stability are shaping students’ emotional experiences at school.

“Students are worried they will get home from school and their parents will be gone,” one educator shared. Another wrote, “Students are worried about their parents. Smaller students are sad or nervous or worried their parents will go to jail.”

Some educators described more subtle shifts in student behavior. “Many students who were outgoing and confident are withdrawing, trying to not draw attention to themselves,” one teacher reported.

Changes in attendance were also widely reported. According to the survey, 76.7% of educators observed changes in student attendance, with 25% describing those changes as significant or extreme. Educators linked attendance patterns to periods of heightened immigration enforcement activity or community concern.

“In general our students usually come, but if there is ICE activity in the area, they do not come,” one respondent wrote. Another noted, “There have been times when all [multilingual learners] in my class have been absent. Each time was when rumors or sightings of ICE were made.”

Some respondents described longer-term disruptions, including what one educator called a “Huge increase in random withdrawals/students disappearing.” Others reported that “Students have been moving schools during the school year.”

Academic engagement has also been affected. About 68.1% of respondents said they have observed changes in student engagement or performance, with 15.5% reporting significant changes. Teachers described students struggling to focus or complete work, often in connection to stress outside of school.

“Students are less engaged in class and are often sitting and not completing assignments. When asked why, they shared that they are afraid of deportation and are often thinking about that,” one teacher wrote. Another reported, “Some students got behind due to missed days during the ICE presence.”

One educator summarized the broader pattern: “Survival mode is turned on.”

At the same time, many educators reported a lack of clear guidance on how to respond to these challenges. Nearly half of respondents, 48.7%, said they had not received guidance on supporting multilingual students and families during this time, while 15.4% said they were unsure if they had.

“I am concerned… because we have been given no directions for what to do if ICE comes to our school,” one respondent wrote.

Family engagement has also shifted, according to the survey. About 61.2% of educators reported changes in family involvement, with 22.4% describing those changes as significant or extreme. Respondents reported lower attendance at school events and reduced communication with families in some cases.

“Parents are no longer wanting to engage in order to not put their family in danger,” one educator wrote. Another reported, “We averaged 35 people at our Parent University nights for [multilingual] families. Now we average 12.”

Some educators connected these changes to broader concerns about safety. “Families are scared to send children to school because of the fear of them getting picked up by ICE,” one teacher noted.

Overall, the survey results suggest that multilingual learners and immigrant students in South Carolina are experiencing compounding challenges related to emotional well-being, school attendance, and academic engagement, while educators report limited guidance in addressing these shifts.

SCMLE, a statewide network focused on supporting educators of multilingual learners, conducts the survey annually to better understand classroom-level trends and inform professional learning and resource development.