Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023.Thousands of migrant children will file into New York City public schools for the first time on Thursday – and new students keep showing up.
Signs of the challenges were evident at an enrollment center at an auditorium inside the High School of Fashion Industries on Wednesday. Around 100 parents, most of whom did not speak English, waited to enroll their children in schools around the city. Officials acknowledged that enrollment teams were short-staffed over the summer, but have picked up the pace in recent weeks. They said migrant students are being placed in schools with space near their shelters or are being sent to bilingual programs taught in their home language.
As she stood outside the shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel on East 45th Street earlier this week, Jackeline Lamber said she was grateful to have just enrolled her two kids in public school after leaving their native Belize. Schools Chancellor David Banks praised school communities for their response to new migrant students.But Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said more bilingual educators are needed.