Adams attempts to downplay fears NYC immigrant children are skipping school

Mayor Adams connected Tuesday poured acold h2o connected the thought that deportation fears since President Trump’s inauguration person led to a drop-off successful New York City nationalist schoolhouse attendance — contempt aboriginal signs that immoderate migrant families are fearful astir sending their children to school.

In the contiguous aftermath of Trump’s instrumentality to power, the city’s schoolhouse strategy recorded attendance rates betwixt 84 and 89%, compared to a scope of 89 to 92% during the aforesaid week past year, according to information provided by section acquisition officials to authorities lawmakers.

“People are making this look arsenic if determination is simply a wide exodus from our schools,” Mayor Adams told reporters aft testifying connected the authorities fund successful Albany. “That’s not true. There isn’t a max exodus.”

Adams, who has said helium would refrain from crtiicizing Trump successful nationalist but woody with him one-on-one instead, argued that determination are a “lot of things” that spell into attendance rates dropping — including Regents exams administered that week and wintertime illnesses, specified arsenic the communal cold.

“There’s a batch of things that’s going on, and what I’m trying to accidental to New Yorkers: Let’s not adhd to the anxiousness that these children are feeling,” helium said. “And I’ve been precise clear: Children should spell to school.”

Migrant children hole to committee a schoolhouse autobus portion guided by their guardians successful beforehand of the Row Hotel that serves arsenic migrant structure connected Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, successful New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos revealed the attendance information past week during a proceeding connected the authorities acquisition budget. She suggested the drop, portion not “egregious,” could beryllium attributed astatine slightest successful portion to fearfulness among migrant families — successful summation to different factors, specified arsenic the acold weather.

“What we tin safely accidental is that it is 1 of respective factors,” Aviles-Ramos said past Wednesday. “We cognize that determination is fearfulness amongst our families.”

A week aboriginal successful effect to an enquiry from the Daily News, the Education Department walked backmost the usage of week-to-week comparisons, pointing to monthly attendance information that showed a 1.5% alteration successful attendance successful enactment with the twelvemonth prior. (Trump did not presume bureau until 3 weeks into January.)

But aboriginal signs person been a root of interest for elected officials and advocates.

On Monday, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine — who is moving for comptroller — sent a missive to the Adams administration, calling connected teachers and unit not to study migrant families with debased attendance to kid payment authorities.

The Administration for Children’s Services has not seen an summation successful reports of acquisition neglect but volition show for immoderate uptick, a spokesperson confirmed; City Hall did not instantly instrumentality a petition for remark connected that issue.

“It’s devastating that they are having to enactment location and miss retired connected classes, but it would beryllium adjacent much unspeakable if ACS opens a lawsuit against a family,” Levine told The News. “We request the politician to committedness that our schools won’t go grounds for sportfishing expeditions for ICE.”

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens), who is moving against Adams successful this year’s mayoral primary, said during Tuesday’s proceeding that helium has seen a diminution successful attendance among migrant students since Trump rescinded a long-standing argumentation that prevented ICE from making arrests astatine delicate locations, specified arsenic schools.

“To enactment these families astatine ease, volition you contiguous intelligibly authorities that arsenic agelong arsenic ICE does not person a judicial warrant signed by a judge, you volition contradict them introduction into New York City nationalist schools?” Mamdani asked.

In response, Adams suggested helium would request to reappraisal Trump’s enforcement orders, oregon “EOs.” The city’s existent argumentation directs principals to contradict entry to migration authorities until they consult an bureau lawyer astir the warrant.

“We are examining each the EOs, and based connected those EOs, we would ne'er enactment an worker of the metropolis successful harm’s way,” Adams said, referring to guidance that metropolis workers should not enactment themselves physically successful danger.

Naveed Hasan, an advocator for migrant students who sits connected the city’s Panel for Educational Policy, said agencies are doing a “good job” informing parents of their rights to proceed sending children to school, but blamed the politician for rhetoric that makes families consciousness unsafe.

“He has repeatedly made statements that helium didn’t privation to antagonize the president, erstwhile helium had nary contented with criticizing the erstwhile president,” Hasan said. “That is causing a vacuum successful people’s assurance successful enactment and spot successful what’s going to hap to them.”