IUSD encourages Irvine community to participate in the Census

Prior to the 2020 decennial census count on April 1, the Irvine Unified School District spread awareness amongst the parent-student community.

The Irvine Unified School District spread awareness to the parent-student community in late 2019 with a statement to emphasize the importance of avoiding a census undercount.

“California is expected to lose nearly $2,000 per person in annual federal funding,” according to a Cypress Village Elementary School press release posted on its website in November 2019.

This memo helped IUSD students to understand the importance of advocacy and social discussions. Most especially, the next generation’s political advocates, high school students, have become more well-read on the issues of the census.

“Honestly, I didn’t know much about the census,” said University High School junior Amber Rogers. “Until recently, no one has been taking action about it.”

The census is a systematic way to account for the nation’s population. In light of political turbulence in Washington D.C., much of the population isn’t fully cognizant of the underlying threats the census poses.

IUSD clearly outlines to its constituents how to take action.

“By April 1, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census,” Cypress Village Elementary’s press release stated.

The census can be completed by phone, online, or mail.

In response, students feel encouraged to act.

“The fact that many of us will be of age to vote soon only adds to my passion for politics,” said  Portola High School sophomore Diya Jain. “Gen Z is slowly becoming more involved in political participation.”

The world’s young generation is emerging from the curtain of youthful bliss into the world of advocacy. Whether this be self-motivated or coerced by age, IUSD’s involvement in the political field has only encouraged such expansion of knowledge.

Because of this, though the census will continue to worry many, the minds of IUSD are looking bright.