Bilingual social workers at Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) say they were informed last week that their roles are changing for the upcoming school year, leaving several district buildings without their services despite student need.
CPS employs four English Language Learner (ELL) social workers who were previously assigned to multiple school buildings to provide additional support services to students whose first language is not English. This summer, the district cut a dozen social worker positions to save money amid a more than $58 million budget shortfall. The job cuts left the district with a total of 66 social workers, just enough to have one in each school building.
The ELL social workers say they're now each assigned to a specific school as the primary social worker in the building, rather than focusing on providing ELL services across multiple schools.
While addressing the school board Monday night, ELL social worker Sarah Madrigal said this change will leave many vulnerable students without a lifeline at a critical time.
"We were told very specifically that you are a building social worker; do not respond to trauma in other schools, do not respond to crisis in other schools," Madrigal told Board of Education members. "Did any of you ask yourself where these services come from when we stop providing them? Does anybody know what community resources exist to help these students? Because I can tell you that they don't exist."
More than 2,000 students enrolled across CPS are considered English learners. Western Hills High School has more than 200 students learning English, about 20% of the total student population. Teachers at Western Hills say the school will now be without a dedicated bilingual social worker for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Earlier this year, the west side high school was visited by two out-of-town police officers working on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, claiming to conduct welfare checks on immigrant students. Local advocates told WVXU they believe officers were sent to Western Hills and two other CPS elementary schools to intimidate the immigrant community.
Naomi Green, another ELL social worker, says moments like these are why dedicated bilingual support is needed, adding that the recent surge in immigration enforcement has raised anxiety and, in some cases, left immigrant students suddenly without family members.
"They've had so much taken away from them. They've had loved ones disappear from their lives overnight without notice. We're trying to help them heal, and we're trying to help them learn to trust again," Green said. "I beg with you, do not force us to be one more person to disappear from their lives."
The social workers who spoke Monday night say they want the district to consider re-collocating its resources to allow ELL staff to cover multiple schools once again.
The first day of school for CPS is this Wednesday.
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