The absence of health care is a huge but needless barrier for my students to overcome.

I teach elementary school. And I want all my kids to have health care coverage.

That’s why I’m so happy that Congress recently passed a bill that will enable more of my pupils to get the coverage they need. I’m looking forward to President Obama signing it into law.

For the most part, public schools are not health providers. But some of the students in the elementary school where I teach rely on whatever staff members can do to find eyeglasses or organize visits from the dental van.

A lot of the students in my classes are from low-income homes with parents who work at jobs that don’t offer affordable health care.

Many of these parents are immigrants. And their children, my students, have been penalized because of that.

See, the current law prohibits legal immigrants, including children, from accessing Medicaid or SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) funds.

Some of these students have suffered from acute problems, but more often are troubled by vision and hearing problems, dental problems, and anxiety and depression.

These are the kinds of health issues that, if overlooked, can have serious negative effects on a child’s progress in school.

The absence of health care is a huge but needless barrier for my students to overcome.

They have had to wait five years, which is nothing short of cruel.

We teachers do everything we can do to give our students the tools for success. We would never pass up an opportunity to remove a barrier to a student’s academic success.

That’s why I applaud that Congress has gotten rid of the waiting period and allowed my students to access the health care they need.

Kate Yocum teaches English language development and literacy at William Walker Elementary in Beaverton, Ore. Yocum is also a volunteer with the Health Rights Organizing Project’s SCHIP campaign. She can be reached at pmproj [at] progressive [dot] org. For more information about health care for all kids, please visit: www.iwanttobehealthytoo.org.