Children not counted in the census can impact a community for at least 10 years until the error is corrected. For school leaders, every child matters, and accurate information supports school districts in strategically planning for funds and resources that are needed to provide every student with high-quality education.

The ability of public schools to carry out their mission will be severely undermined if the federal government undertakes measures such as the inclusion of a question on citizenship in the Decennial Census, which U.S. Census Bureau and survey experts predict will undercount the number of children and families our schools serve.

The National School Boards Association commends today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Dept. of Commerce v. New York. This is a decision that could have a profoundly positive and long-lasting impact on schoolchildren in our public schools.

The next census rolls out this spring, and between young children being the most undercounted demographic and the recent Supreme Court case over a citizenship question, schools are doing their part to make sure all students are represented.

NSBA President ElizaBeth Branham emboldens school board leaders to ensure each and every child and their relatives is counted in Census 2020.