Winston-Salem educators say federal ICE policy change is keeping some students home

A federal policy change allowing immigration enforcement officers to make arrests at schools may be contributing to dips in student attendance in Winston-Salem. 

Alis Mulero is the principal of Easton Elementary School, where about 75% of the students are Hispanic. 

On the Friday following the federal policy changes, she says a quarter of her students were absent. And on “A Day Without Immigrants,” a nationwide protest organized on Feb. 3, half of her school was gone. 

“The school was a ghost town," Mulero said. "It was very sad, like it was just like, you could tell they were gone.”

Across the district, officials say there were about 4,000 students out that day. But at Easton, the absences have persisted. Mulero says there are roughly 40 students gone every day — 10% of the school population. 

It’s not clear if all of those kids are out for the same reason, and the flu is going around. But Mulero says many families have told her, and other teachers, that they’re scared. 

"They're talking about it, like the kids are talking about it. Like it's a worry in their minds," Mulero said. "And then, how can you study and learn when you're thinking about like, ‘I can be taken or gone,' or not even themselves, but kind of like, 'When I get home and I get out of the bus, are they going to be there?'”

Additionally, Mulero says her school typically has about 20 immigrants that enroll every January. This year, there were only about three. 

Mulero has been working to communicate with parents about the district’s policy: no immigration agents can come on campus without an official subpoena from a judge. If someone does come to the school, the district’s legal department will be called in to review the document and give further guidance. Also, schools don’t track the citizenship status of students.   

But even with that information, Mulero says it’s hard to completely reassure parents when schools used to be safe havens and now they’re not. 

“My number one thing is safety," Mulero said. "And then not being able to tell a parent, you know, ‘This would definitely not happen.’ Like it just is hard. It is really hard.”

Mulero and her staff have been taking steps to meet families where they're at in this moment. An English learning program for parents at the school now has a virtual option. Teachers are reminding families that they can hold conferences and meetings virtually as well, with no explanation needed.

They're also preparing for the worst. Mulero is encouraging parents to update their emergency contact information so the school district can support children if their living situations change.

Attendance isn't only an issue at Easton. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus says it’s hard to explain why students are absent based on data alone. But anecdotally, she says principals are hearing from students and parents that the new policy is causing fear. 

“They're telling us the stories of a child that has said, you know, ‘My family is afraid to have me come to school,’ and that's from elementary all the way up," McManus said. 

McManus met with community organizations and faith leaders a few weeks ago to discuss the district's protocol following the federal policy change. 

"We need help getting messages out to our families. You know, we don't want kids not to come to school out of fear," McManus said. "We need them in school. That's how they're going to have a brighter future, is getting a quality education."

She says the district plans to continue these meetings to coordinate support for Latino families. 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.