For the first time in two years, the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District is now getting back to their hands-on approach when it comes to offering assistance to students who are a part of migrant worker families.

Recruitment and identification of migrant workers is something the district addresses year-round, but this week is different because it offers a boots-on-the-ground approach.

Romelia Torres, a migrant clerk at Longoria Middle School, says the last time she walked the streets of her community was two years ago because of the pandemic.

“I want to help — we want to help as many families as we can, because a lot of these families even — just helping them with school supplies, with clothing, it’s a lot of help for them,” said Torres, who’s been on the job for 11 years.

Torres’ pursuit on Monday is part of a larger, collective effort by the district that looks to match students of migrant workers with the resources they need. Patricio Escamilla leads that mission.

“One of our greatest resources are our counselors,” said Escamilla, Edinburg CISD’s migrant education program coordinator. “Our migrant councilors and our elementary counselors that guide our students every step of the way because that way they stay on track, stay on par, and make sure that they become successful.”

Counselors go knocking on doors in colonias, working to identify potential working migrants. On Monday, they only found one family household that qualified, but said seeing that in itself is an accomplishment.

“It’s good, because this is a family that — they actually — the students have been in school, but they haven’t been identified,” Torres said.

In a school district where an estimated four to five percent of their student population comes from migrant families, it’s their hope that these working families are able to receive the assistance they need, regardless of where they are.

“When they are getting educated in a different state or different parts of Texas, we don’t stop a beat," Escamilla said. "It's just a smooth transition, get them the classes where they need to be.”

Escamilla clarified that the migrant workers that the district assists are not to be confused with migrants who cross the border illegally.