WSASP Statement on Family Separation, Community Violence, and School Impact
January 27, 2026
The Washington State Association of School Psychologists (WSASP) asserts the critical importance of addressing the well‑documented impacts of family separation and community violence on child development and educational access. Research from the Society for Research in Child Development establishes that separation from caregivers produces significant and lasting risks including increased mental health concerns, insecure attachment, and disrupted stress regulation. Additional evidence demonstrates elevated risks of PTSD, anxiety, and long‑term developmental and health impairments associated with forced separation and high‑stress conditions. These findings underscore the urgent need for school systems and professional organizations to respond proactively and comprehensively.
Under the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Principles for Professional Ethics, school psychologists are ethically obligated to safeguard the rights, dignity, and educational continuity of all students (Principles I.1 and I.3). This includes a clear mandate to maintain safe, supportive learning environments and to uphold equitable access regardless of immigration status. In situations where external forces threaten student wellbeing or school safety, NASP standards require school psychologists to act decisively to reduce harm and support stable conditions for learning.
Current developments in Minnesota demonstrate the significant disruption caused by intensified federal immigration enforcement near schools. Nonpartisan reporting documents detentions of students, staff, and parents; use of force near school grounds; and the presence of ICE personnel in school parking areas. Many districts are experiencing substantial attendance declines, with 20–40% of students remaining home due to documented safety concerns. Additional reports describe school closures, extended remote learning periods, and operational disruptions following enforcement actions near dismissal times and residential areas. These patterns reflect well‑established research showing that exposure to community instability directly undermines students’ learning, engagement, and emotional regulation.
Given the weight of this evidence and the scale of the current impact, WSASP emphasizes that responding to these conditions is not optional but essential. Family separation and community-level enforcement activity represent significant threats to child wellbeing and public education systems. It is imperative that school psychologists, school leaders, and policymakers recognize the seriousness of these disruptions and take immediate steps to mitigate their effects.
WSASP reaffirms its responsibility to uphold NASP standards, address the educational and social‑emotional effects of separation and instability, and advocate for school environments that minimize exposure to traumatic enforcement activity.
The ongoing violence and enforcement activity in Minnesota make clear that family separation is not an isolated concern but a current, pressing issue with measurable educational and psychological consequences. WSASP underscores the need for immediate, coordinated action to maintain safe learning environments and ensure continuous access to public education for all students.
Position Statement:Students Who Are Displaced Persons, Refugees, or Asylum-SeekersThis position statement affirms that schools play a critical role in providing support to displaced, refugee, and asylum‑seeking students. It also offers guidance for school psychologists working with youth of varying immigration statuses.
Supporting Marginalized Students in Stressful Times: Tips for CaregiversThis NASP handout provides caregivers with practical, trauma-informed strategies to promote safety, emotional regulation, belonging, and resilience for marginalized students during times of social stress, uncertainty, and fear.
Policy Matters Blog: Supporting Immigrant Families and Upholding Their RightsThis blog from NASP identifies the key legal protections of students, including those that are undocumented, and specific actions school psychologists can take to support immigrant students and their families. This blog is only accessible to NASP members.
988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineNationwide 24/7 support for anyone in emotional distress.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelplineProvides mental health education, referral support, and stress‑management resources (1‑800‑950‑NAMI).
WA State Behavioral Health ResourcesA large directory of social‑emotional, behavioral, and family support services across Washington for caregivers, children, and teens.
Northwest Immigrant Rights ProjectNorthwest Immigrant Rights Project promotes justice by defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education.
WA Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance | DSHSProvides health and wellness support, employment services, basic needs assistance, and culturally responsive programming for refugee and immigrant families statewide.
ACLU – Immigrant Rights ResourcesSupplies multilingual rights guides for individuals dealing with ICE, along with materials for families and service providers.
Support Minnesota During ICE Operations (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits)Contains ways to support MN communities
WSASP will be continuing our quarterly School Psychologist Recognition Award for the 2025-26 school year. Please provide this recognition form to your administrators and colleagues to share the important work that we are all doing! School psychologists will be recognized in the Prior Written Notice newsletter, as well as on WSASP social media accounts.
Have you ever worked with an incredible school psychologist? Do you know of an incredible school psychology department? Now’s your chance to send a shout-out in the form of a WSASP award nomination! Nominations are open NOW through no later than Friday October 10th. No need to wait, submit a nomination or two this week! And please spread the word to encourage nominations from your colleagues as well!
For more details on awards and for past awardees, see: www.wsasp.org/awards
WSASP has released a letter to support school psychologists in obtaining appropriate pay scale placement at a MA+45 designation. This letter is co-signed by representatives from all Washington State school psychology training programs.
The WSASP community is saddened to learn about the death of Yeojin Chung-Jones, age 37. Yeojin died on Sunday June 2nd after a sudden illness. She leaves behind her husband, CJ, two daughters, Juniper (Juni), aged 3, and Maple, aged 8 months and numerous other family members, friends, co-workers and students.
Yeojin was an active member in WSASP, serving as web master during the 2020-2021 school year. As a school psychologist in the Mount Vernon School District, Yeojin earned the respect of her co-workers and students as she promoted inclusivity and equity- two values she held close to her heart. She was dedicated to social justice and spent her life helping others.
Yeojin was born on June 10th, 1986 in Seoul, South Korea. She showed immense intelligence and care from a young age. When she entered junior high, she decided to drop out to continue schooling on her own. Her parents permitted her leaving school because she argued that school got in the way of her well-thought-out blueprint of learning and life. She used these teenage years to learn on her own and became a published writer and reviewer of theater productions. She also volunteered time for the Anti-Miss Korea Pageant because she found it an opportunity to practice her belief that women should not be objectified, commercialized, and judged only by their looks. In addition, she was funded by UNICEF Korea to travel to Japan and Thailand to build connections between youths promoting cross-cultural friendship beyond borders. She always endeavored to walk out of her comfort zone, break down barriers, and sow seeds of healing and peace.
In 2001, Yeojin visited the Pacific Northwest with her family and fell in love with the region. At age 17, she moved with her family to Hawaii and attended Leeward Community College, where she attracted the attention of her Physics teacher, who encouraged her to pursue a career in Physics. Yeojin's response, however, was that she only did Physics for fun. Eventually, she chose the University of Washington, where she graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor's in Drama. Her degree led her to work for the Washington National Opera where she worked under the leadership of Placido Domingo. She also worked for the Denver Children's Theater and Seattle Children's Theater. She wanted to make the arts more accessible to the general public, especially people of lower income. She went back to school in pursuit of her Master’s in New York University’s Tisch School of Arts for in-depth understanding of arts through diverse angles such as socio-economics, politics, and multi-cultural harmony and cacophony. One of her projects was, “Don’t Ni Hao Me.” Given her Asian looks, random strangers in New York City sometimes "Ni-Haoed" her (assumed she was Chinese and greeted her with the Chinese word for hello). They often were abrupt, blunt, and even rude in the approach. She interpreted it as one of many examples of stereotyping based on racism. She made name tags of her own name in about 30 different languages and did a presentation wearing all the name tags. “No matter where I am, Whatever language my name is in, I am Yeojin Chung. I should be respected for who I am, and not stereotyped or disparaged for how I look,” was her message.
Eventually she entered the IT field and worked for Microsoft before going back to school again to pursue a degree in School Psychology. Yeojin graduated from Seattle University with her second Master's in School Psychology in 2019 and immediately entered the workforce.
During her time at Seattle University Yeojin met her husband CJ. In 2020 the two moved to Mount Vernon Washington to begin their lives, getting married the same year. In 2021 Yeojin gave birth to her daughter Juniper and in 2023 she gave birth to Maple.
Yeojin had an array of interests that reflected her vibrant spirit. She was an avid hiker and kickboxer. She loved the thrill of bouldering, and she appreciated eating delicious food and preparing meals for her family. Above all, Yeojin’s greatest joy was being a mother to Juni and Maple. Her sense of humor was often found in her amusing observations on motherhood which will be especially missed.
Though Yeojin’s time with us has ended, her memory will forever inspire those who were touched by her kindness, warmth and sense of humor. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and the community she served.
Please consider sharing or donating to the GoFundMe that has been set up to benefit Juni, Maple and CJ.
We join the Garfield High School community and the rest of Seattle in mourning the senseless death of a teenage student due to gun violence after breaking up a fight on campus last Thursday. This follows a student injury near Garfield in March due to a drive-by shooting, and multiple other shootings in the community that have led to school lockdowns. The students, staff, and families at Garfield deserve to feel safe, and we join them in anger and grief that their safety is under frequent threat. To hear from students in their own words, see this social media post from the Seattle Student Union.
High-profile acts of violence, particularly in schools, can confuse and frighten children and teens who may feel in danger or worry that their friends or loved ones are at risk. They will look to adults for information and guidance on how to react. Parents and school personnel can help children feel safe by establishing a sense of normalcy and security and talking with them about their fears.
Resources for Supporting Students:
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (NASP)
School Shooting Resources (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
Talking To Children About Terrorist Attacks And School And Community Shootings In The News (National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement)
It is also critical that educators - including school psychologists - continue to practice critical self-care. Following a crisis, teachers often need to provide additional support to the students in their classes. In addition, crisis responders and mental health professionals are tasked with providing crisis intervention and additional mental health support to the school community following a crisis event. Consequently, it is extremely important for caregivers to monitor their own reactions and take care of their own needs as failure to do so can result in stress and burnout.
Resources for Supporting Educators and Self Care:
Coping In The Aftermath Of A Shooting (American Counseling Association)
Self-Care for School Psychologists (NASP)
Care for Caregivers: Tips for Families and Educators
If you are in need of additional support or resources, please reach out to WSASP.
Respectfully,
Mikael Olson, WSASP President
Carrie Suchy, WSASP Immediate Past President
Anna Casey, WSASP President Elect
Alex Franks-Thomas, Communications Committee Co-Chair
WSASP Recognizes November as Native American Heritage Month. Below are some resources that you can use to create a culturally sustaining classroom, not only for November, but all year round. (List curated by OSPI SEL Department)
The Value of Culture-based Education for Native American Students (Cicero)
Tips for Teaching about Native Peoples (Burke Museum)
Empowering Indigenous voices during Native American Heritage Month (Microsoft)
Native American Heritage Month Selected Resources for Teachers (Library of Congress)
There are many ways to celebrate and honor National Native American Heritage Month. Here are a few suggestions:
Learn about the federally recognized tribes nearest to your school district and Tribal Consultation (OSPI).
Attend a Since Time Immemorial introductory training through OSPI's Office of Native Education.
Review lessons and watch videos from the Pacific Northwest history and culture series from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Check out When We Were Alone, a children’s book by David A. Robertson, which tells the story of a grandmother who survived residential school. You can watch and listen along on YouTube as well.
WSASP recognizes that October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. We have identified the following resources to help members learn more about this as well as to share with your school communities:
WSASP recognizes that October is ADHD Awareness Month. We have identified the following resources to help members learn more about this as well as to share with your school communities.
WSASP recognizes that October 10th is World Mental Health Day. We have identified the following resource to help members learn more about this as well as to share with your school communities:
Washington State Association of School Psychologists816 W. Francis Ave #214Spokane, WA 99205 contact@wsasp.org 509-724-1587
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