Immigration raid fears keeping some LAUSD students away as 2nd semester kicks off, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says
It's back to school for hundreds of thousands of students across the Los Angeles Unified School District, but not all of them are returning.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says some students aren't showing up due to concerns over immigration enforcement.
"During the first semester, we saw across our community, with deep impact to our schools, immigration raids that have created fear in every single neighborhood," Carvalho said.
The district reassures parents that schools are protected spaces, meaning they will not allow law enforcement to walk into schools or take any kind of action against a student, parent or employee, without a signed judicial warrant.
Carvalho says that while attendance is down, fear is on the rise.
"We repudiate, we reject the climate of fear. It has no place in our community, has no place in the streets of our nation," the superintendent said.
LAUSD says their employees have also gone through specialized training to know their rights and how to de-escalate possible scenarios.
"We must work collaboratively to make sure our kids and families receive the resources they need, come to the places that love them, like school, and are set up to solve all of the challenges that we know are facing our communities today," said LAUSD Board Member Tanya Ortiz.
The district points out that school campuses are often the place where students receive not only education, but also the majority of their meals.
"Attendance matters. Showing up every single day on time makes a huge difference. Again let's have a great second semester and let's end the year strong," said Karla Estrada, LAUSD Deputy Superintendent of Instruction.
