ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — The Arvin Union School District reports that during the week CBP conducted their operation “Return to Sender” the school had a 5 to 8 percent decline in student attendance.
- Arvin Union School District reports a decrease in student attendance due to the community’s fear of the Border Patrol presence in the county.
- To help alleviate some of that stress and show their support, she says the district is providing resources to parents both online and in person at their family resource center.
- Rhett says the district will continue to prioritize the safety of students on campus and assures families that the district does not ask for or share personal documentation.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Here in Arvin, student attendance in schools went down during the week the border patrol made its operation sweeps. The Arvin Union School district tells me, it saw a 5 to 8 percent decline in student attendance in one week.
"There's been significant absences last week with the presence of those other agencies in town, which caused fear, had people stay home, and had students not coming to school," said Arvin Superintendent Georgia Rhett.
Now that the U.S. Border Patrol completed their operation "Return to Sender," Rhett says attendance has improved. However, she says some families remain concerned about the possibility of CBP's return.
I got to speak to some of those parents at the "Know Your Rights" Community Town Hall meeting Thursday evening, where they told me they remain worried about the unknown.
"Knowing that these people arrive directly in your city, of course, it brings you fear," said resident Lorena Pineda. "It's true that we're told that we can take our kids to school and that they'll be safe there, but having to drive there and back, you're taking a risk."
To address parents' concerns, Rhett says the district has received direction from the state attorney general's office to help guide families in this matter.
The Arvin Union school board also adopted the ICE Resolution in 2016 stating the district will not allow immigration agents on its campuses without a court order or warrant.
The resolution reads in part quote—
"The School Board has found that the presence of ICE is likely to lead to a disruption of the educational setting. Therefore, any request by ICE to visit a school site should be forwarded to the Superintendent's Office for review before a decision is made to allow access to the site" end quote.
"Generally, schools are considered to be safe spaces, and the expectation stated by the attorney general is that they would not expect enforcement event efforts in or around the area of a school," said Rhett.
Rhett says the district will continue to prioritize the safety of students on campus and assures families that the district does not ask for or share personal documentation.
For additional resources regarding immigration and student safety, Rhett encourages families to visit their Family Resource Center.
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