First day of school jitters: Influx of migrant children tests preparedness of NYC schools

Kimberly Carchipulla watches her son Damien open a new backpack donated by a non profit in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Damien will attend his first day of school in New York City on Thursday after family emigrated from Ecuador in June. – Damien, age 5, was giddy with excitement as he left a Manhattan homeless shelter, sometimes running and skipping along the sidewalk accompanied by his wistful mother, a migrant from Ecuador.

New York City’s shelter system has been especially overwhelmed, but Mayor Eric Adams has sought to reassure parents and community groups that the city’s nearly 1,900 schools — which have a long track record of welcoming immigrants with limited English skills — are well prepared to welcome migrant children into classrooms.

Carchipulla’s immediate worry was getting Damien to class early, traveling by city bus and foot to reach his school 75 blocks away in East Harlem. Scores of other families gathered at the school's gates waiting to be let in. Illegal border crossings fell sharply after the Biden administration introduced new restrictions in May. But the numbers are again rising — pushed higher this time by families with children. According to preliminary data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, August was the busiest month ever for apprehensions for migrant families crossing the border with children from Mexico.

Advocacy groups are closely watching how the city's schools respond to the migrant influx, but sympathize with city officials who continue to plead for more money from Albany and the White House.

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