New York City education officials were scrambling Tuesday to enroll a staggering nearly 20,000 migrant kids by the start of school in two days.
“I came here from Venezuela because the situation is so unstable. There is no work, no education for my kids, no food, nothing,” said Silva. “The process has been really easy so far. The paperwork has been no problem. People show us what do do. We have gotten a ton of help from people for the process,” she said.
“I am trying to get my kids registered for school. I am excited that they have the chance to go to school here, but I am trying to get the paperwork sorted out.” “I’m not nervous at all to go into high school. The school I’ve already been to was great. I made a ton of new friends. I’m really happy to be here,” he said, adding that his favorite part of the US was Times Square, and he hoped to one day join the US Army.Antonio said registering for school was one of the easiest aspects of his arduous asylum-seeking ordeal.“It’s been really hard here, so far. It’s been hard trying to get a work permit, to figure out housing.
Migrants children in city shelters had “a right to be enrolled in their of closest zoned school,” but families that were able to travel could opt for a schools further away with “stronger concurrent supports,” said Liza Schwartzwald, the non-profit’s Director of Economic Justice and Family Empowerment.