A new study from the Southern Poverty Law Center took a look at how this year’s presidential election is affecting classrooms--and the result indicated that many teachers are hesitant to teach about it at all.

Using data from an online survey, the SPLC found that two-thirds of teachers said some of their students expressed concerns related to the campaign--particularly Mexican-American and Muslim students, the Christian Science Monitor said.

Teachers reported instances of students carrying their birth certificate around to prove U.S. citizenship because, teachers say, the aggressive rhetoric Trump has created this election season is promoting bullying in schools.

Being labeled as “The Trump Effect,” 40 percent of teachers said they were hesitant about teaching students about the election at all, while others said they accepted the challenge of leading the discussions despite the sensitive content.

Based on the survey results, the SPLC urged educators to not shy away from leading a discussion in order to support students feeling isolated and/or bullied.

“'We urge educators not to abandon their teaching about the election, to use instances of incivility as teaching moments...and to support the children who are hurt, confused and frightened by what they’re hearing from the candidates,’ the Southern Poverty Law Center stated in the report,” according to The Christian Science Monitor.

While the report provides some insight into how the education community feels about Donald Trump, how Donald Trump feels about education is a wild card.

According to policy expert Rick Hess, Trump’s declarations on abolishing Common Core and the Department of Education are little more than performance art.

"One reason that Trump makes political veterans observers so nervous is that he could very well be elected President of the United States, and yet no one has any idea of what he’d attempt to do in office. So, what would a President Trump mean for education? I have no idea. And neither does anyone else,” Hess said in an Education Week post.

One thing is for sure, many people feel as if bullying is becoming a growing problem in schools thanks to technology and cyber bullying; the interconnectivity provided by the Internet is likely exposing students to the aggressive rhetoric this election season at a steady rate.

Weigh-in by taking our poll below. 

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

4/18/2016