Community Voices is a Study in the States guest blog series where we invite members of the international student community to share their insights with our audience. If you have interest in contributing to our blog, send us an email at SEVPCommunications@ice.dhs.gov. 

Chantal Duke is the principal designated school official (PDSO) at The Awty International School, a private school located in Houston, Texas. Awty is Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)‑certified for K-12 student programs, and enrolls over 1,500 students from all over the world. Ms. Duke has 16 years of experience managing F-1 students’ and J-1 exchange visitors’ records.

Her advice to new designated school officials (DSOs) at K-12 private schools is simple: be proactive from the start. Below, she provides some specific actions new DSOs can take to help them navigate SEVP regulations and reporting requirements.

1. Attend as many SEVP webinars as possible.

SEVP hosts multiple stakeholder webinars each year that are free to the public. Topics include general program updates and specific SEVIS enhancements. SEVP webinars are helpful in understanding changes and new requirements to maintain information in SEVIS, especially after system deployments or SEVP regulation changes. If you cannot watch a live broadcast, recordings are conveniently available on Study in the States shortly after each webinar.

2. Engage with Study in the States and SEVP.

New DSOs should take advantage of the free federal resources that are available to them via the Study in the States website. I also encourage new DSOs to reach out to their SEVP field representative — if one is available to them — as soon as possible. For every-day questions, consult Study in the States tools or call the SEVP Response Center to get specific assistance. I also find it very useful to follow Study in the States on social media or connect with SEVP on LinkedIn to stay informed about important program news.

3. Network with other schools and meet regularly with your administration.

Connect with other private schools with K-12 SEVP-certified programs and reach out to DSOs who have experience managing F-1 programs. These connections can help you navigate the process and provide best practices to follow. Regional or national associations for private schools can also facilitate communication by providing a platform for exchanges on specific topics.

It is important to share what you learn regularly with your school’s administration, especially when there are changes to official student- and school-related regulations. For that purpose, I do encourage new DSOs to set up at least an annual review of established internal procedures their school has for managing international student records. Again, this is especially important to do when there are changes or upgrades in SEVP regulations or forms (as has recently been the case with the updated Forms I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student”), which could impact the school’s internal process for providing correct information or documentation to students and their parents before visa processing or travel.

Help us spread Ms. Duke’s advice with the K-12 DSOs in your network by sharing this article with new and experienced DSOs on Twitter and Facebook. Use the hashtag #StudyintheStates for a chance to be featured on a social media hub!

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