Prince William school officials: No immigrant influx
http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/prince-william-school-officials-no-immigrant-influx/article_4400f6da-1986-11e4-be57-001a4bcf887a.html

School officials: No immigrant influx

Although “hundreds” of immigrant Central American teens and pre-teens have spent time at Youth for Tomorrow in western Prince William the past two years, there’s little sign that significant numbers have enrolled in local schools.

In response to questions from the Prince William County Board of Supervisors earlier this month, YFT Chief Executive Officer Gary Jones told county officials the Bristow-based Christian group home for troubled teens is now housing about 80 young immigrants. He also said the non-profit founded by former Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs has hosted “hundreds” as part of the two-year contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

According to Prince William County spokesman Jason Grant, Jones also said most only stay at the facility for an average of 35 days before being released to family members or foster families.

But whether the teens are staying in Prince William while they await court hearings under the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act remains an open question.

County schools spokesman Phil Kavits said the school division has seen no corresponding spike in enrollment among Spanish-speaking children, and has heard no anecdotal reports about large numbers of foster children entering local schools.

In an email, Kavits also said the school division is not expecting a corresponding increase in enrollment this fall.

According to school records, the number of English Language Learners as a percentage of overall enrollment has leveled off in recent years. Numbers rose steadily from 1996 to 2007, when the percent of Limited English Proficient students peaked at 18.5 percent, but have since drifted downward. About 16 percent of Prince William students were eligible for special English language instruction in 2013.

Similarly, enrollments at middle and high schools with higher percentages of English learners stayed about the same or declined slightly over the last two years. Only Freedom and Stonewall Jackson high schools saw slight increases.

Of the 1,920 students attending Freedom, 20.7 percent of students were classified as LEP during the 2013-14 school year, up from 20.3 percent during the 2012-13 school year. At Stonewall Jackson, which enrolled 2,409 students last year, LEP enrollment jumped by almost 1 percentage point, from 17.4 to 18.3 percent.

The county has nonetheless been conducting several teacher training sessions this summer focused on improving instruction for LEP students. But Kavits said the sessions, most of which are being held at Reagan Middle School, are being offered only to help teachers comply with more extensive training requirements mandated by an agreement county schools made last fall with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Schools spokeswoman Irene Cromer said the school division does receive some federal funding for LEP services under the No Child Left Behind Act. The school division expects to receive about $2 million in funding this school year, which helps pay for teacher training and other services.

YFT officials have declined to answer questions about their program for immigrant teens. Jones has not returned requests for comment and a YFT board member contacted by Prince William Today said she was not authorized to talk to the media.

During a July 15 meeting, county supervisors asked County Executive Melissa Peacor to find out how many unaccompanied immigrant children were staying in Prince William and under what circumstances. Supervisors also wanted to know what might be expected in the way of medical, educational or social services from the county.

At the same meeting, about a dozen residents spoke both for and against YFT’s decision to house young immigrants. Opponents said they worried the teens might harbor contagious diseases or be members of criminal gangs. Others said the children are victims of violence who should be met with compassion from county residents.

Grant said Jones has since shared the following information with county officials:

• No local funds, state funds or Medicaid funds are being used to support the children, and there are no plans to ask for services from the local government of any kind.

• All children staying at YFT receive a medical exam and all inoculations within 36 hours of arrival, all paid for by the federal government.

• If the children attend school, they do so at YFT in their facilities.

• Since YFT began hosting immigrant children in 2012, there have been no runaways and no issues involving contagious illnesses.

I'll bet they're lying about their home address and going to Fairfax schools.

Point is they are going to school SOMEWHERE. And it is an additional burden on whatever school system is affected.

http://www.wtop.com/41/3672184/More-than-100-unaccompanied-minors-enrolled-in-Montgomery-County-schools