We don't have the stomach for it.  

Hispanic students vanish from Alabama schools

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) — Hispanic students have started vanishing from Alabama public schools in the wake of a court ruling that upheld the state's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.

Education officials say scores of immigrant families have withdrawn their children from classes or kept them home this week, afraid that sending the kids to school would draw attention from authorities.

There are no precise statewide numbers. But several districts with large immigrant enrollments — from small towns to large urban districts — reported a sudden exodus of children of Hispanic parents, some of whom told officials they planned to leave the state to avoid trouble with the law, which requires schools to check students' immigration status.

The anxiety has become so intense that the superintendent in one of the state's largest cities, Huntsville, went on a Spanish-language television show Thursday to try to calm widespread worries.

"In the case of this law, our students do not have anything to fear," Casey Wardynski said in halting Spanish. He urged families to send students to class and explained that the state is only trying to compile statistics.

Police, he insisted, were not getting involved in schools.

Victor Palafox graduated from a high school in suburban Birmingham last year and has lived in the United States without documentation since age 6, when his parents brought him and his brother here from Mexico.

"Younger students are watching their lives taken from their hands," said Palafox, whose family is staying put.

In Montgomery County, more than 200 Hispanic students were absent the morning after the judge's Wednesday ruling. A handful withdrew.

In tiny Albertville, 35 students withdrew in one day. And about 20 students in Shelby County, in suburban Birmingham, either withdrew or told teachers they were leaving.

Local and state officials are pleading with immigrant families to keep their children enrolled. The law does not ban anyone from school, they say, and neither students nor parents will be arrested for trying to get an education.

But many Spanish-speaking families aren't waiting around to see what happens.

A school worker in Albertville — a community with a large poultry industry that employs many Hispanic workers — said Friday that many families might leave town over the weekend for other states. About 22 percent of the community's 4,200 students are Hispanic.

"I met a Hispanic mother in the hallway at our community learning center this morning, where enrollment and withdrawal happens. She looked at me with tears in her eyes. I asked, 'Are you leaving?' She said 'Yes,' and hugged me, crying," said the worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not an authorized spokeswoman.

In Russellville, which has one of the largest immigrant populations in the state because of its poultry plants, overall school attendance was down more than 2 percent after the ruling, and the rate was higher among Hispanic students.

There's "no firm data yet, but several students have related to their teachers that they may be moving soon," said George Harper, who works in the central office.

Schools in Baldwin County, a heavily agricultural and tourist area near the Gulf Coast, and in Decatur in the Tennessee Valley also reported sudden decreases in Hispanic attendance.

The law does not require proof of citizenship to enroll, and it does not apply to any students who were enrolled before Sept. 1. While most students are not affected, school systems are supposed to begin checking the status of first-time enrollees now.

The Obama administration filed court documents Friday announcing its plans to appeal the ruling that upheld the law.

The state has distributed to schools sample letters that can be sent to parents of new students informing them of the law's requirements for either citizenship documents or sworn statements by parents.

In an attempt to ease suspicions that the law may lead to arrests, the letter tells parents immigration information will be used only to gather statistics.

"Rest assured," the letter states, "that it will not be a problem if you are unable or unwilling to provide either of the documents."

Oh sure no one will think you're here illegally if you pull your kids out of school right before they check immigration status.

Self deportation FTW!

they're probably just moving from Alabama to Texas

I thought we have been deporting illegal immigrants?

Yeah, this happens again and again when anti illegal immigration laws are passed in an area. FEAR would drive them back across the border VERY efficiently if it was done on a national scale.

So it's having the desired effect, and .gov officials are pandering to the illegals.

We have, just not enough and mostly the criminals.

Have they given them taxpayer funded vouchers so they can attend private school yet?






They're ALL criminals

Is it just that the 20% are the most vocal?

andnotasinglefuckwasgiventhatday.jpg

Bye Bye  

I don't think anybody is going anywhere

Why do you hate the children?

A school worker in Albertville — a community with a large poultry industry that employs many Hispanic workers — said Friday that many families might leave town over the weekend for other states. About 22 percent of the community's 4,200 students are Hispanic.

Or TN

"Storm Damage work" They're all in on it from the Big Insurance Companies to the stupid and/or crooked inspectors and adjusters to the contractors hiring undocumented workers below minimum wage.  The Big Insurance Companies are turning around and picking the pocket of their rate payers with 15 to 50% rate increases now because we live in a "high risk storm area."  They can all rot in hell.

Apparently not.

 

According to some of the legal types around here, they technically are not.

It has a foothold.  Got to remember that all states have their idiots no matter how conservative most of the state may be.  Ours are no different than yours.  We just have less.

In other news if anyone is looking for work in landscaping I have a buddy that needs 6-8 folks.  Seems his help didn't show up for work this morning.

Illegal immigration is just a way to get money from the government and our taxes, just another scam by the left.

Well ok then, I guess it's to be expected of school employees. Didn't think of that.

It has nothing to do with location ( I'm a Sacramento person and believe it or not the surrounding area is pretty consevative,  downtown is a different story ) it's about education dollars,  you think those administrators give a flying fuck about those kids,  perhaps it's the 10k a year that they get for each one of the little bastards that attend the daycare centers they run.

It's all about the dollars,  they don't give a shit about the kids.

According to the school board 30 students in the city system have left or have indicated they are leaving. This includes children of non illegals who are moving for various reasons (end of the month- rent is due, etc.).

As for the poultry plants, there are some reports that an east coast employment agency is recruiting people here for political asylum to work. Maybe some hot babes from Khazakstan?

The districts aren't complaining out of compassion but instead out of greed.

They don't care the race of the child, so long as that child is sitting in a chair, the district receives funding.

Empty seats = lost "revenue"

I love how the articles calls them "immigrants." They didn't immigrate legally, hence they're ILLEGAL ALIENS, not immigrants.

spot on my friend, when i was younger going to public schools in hawaii i was picked on constantly for allmost 5 years (without any real help from the school it self int he matter) finaly my dad had enough and told them he was pulling me out and they threatened him with legal action, they said a letter actually describing the nearly 6K dollars they were going to loose by me leaving the school singlely, all about fucking money and outside of the loss of income, they had nothing else to realy say of substance in the letter.
loosing all of those school kids is like losing 20-40% of there *income*
The thing that pisses me off about public schools is they are ran like a business, not a education center, i dont have kids yet but i wont let them touch a public school. fuck em

You're killing my buzz!



 

Enact tough immigration laws, illegals disappear. I fail to see the problem.

We have.  Just not enough of them.

FIFY.

I also agree about it being an issue of $ not education. How much would "the system" care if these kids were home schooled or private schooled?

.......all I can say to the illegals is.......GET THE FUCK OUT!!!!

TN

It's simple economics why the super is worried.

Less student bodies means less fed dollars.

The end.

Not from schools or their school systems. Schools are considered "safe zones" for just about any GD thing one can think of. No guns, all the no-tolerance rules you can think of, all in the name of "safety". But it's also a haven for abused & runaway kids, at least according to the posters I've seen.

I have mixed feelings about the so-called "safe haven" thing. On one hand, it's nice to know a kid can have at least one place they can speak to an adult about an issue & the kid knows it will be kept confidential. On the other hand, how do you teach kids to obey the law(s) of the land & all that when you openly turn a blind eye to someone whom is ILLEGAL?

Imagine if we got rid of all of them and actually had an effective border policy...like shoot to kill? wow.

This idea of yours, I like it.

Someone gets it.

There is a law in VA that states if you drive a car on the highway you have to insure it as well. Laws don't stop them, but deportation does.

I have the stomach for it

WOW!  
 
You mean like how the Mexican police handle their immigration problem?