Q&A
Addressing absenteeism among asylum seeker students
1:59:14
·
3 min
Council Member Brewer raises concerns about high absenteeism rates among asylum seeker students in shelters and discusses potential causes and solutions with Director Schaeffer.
- Brewer highlights the issue of parents bringing children to appointments, leading to absences
- Director Schaeffer clarifies that children are not required to attend appointments
- Discussion on improving communication about appointment attendance policies
- Brewer emphasizes the importance of keeping asylum seeker families in New York schools and the negative impact of students leaving
Gale A. Brewer
1:59:14
Now, absenteeism is the other big issue.
1:59:16
That one of the papers the other day had the huge absenteeism in shelters.
1:59:21
Obviously, including, I assume, DHS, HNA, and everybody else.
1:59:24
Big number.
1:59:25
So but if you have to go with your parents to all these different meetings, then you're gonna be absent.
1:59:30
Somebody early testified.
1:59:32
What is the story with taking your children every which way when you are moving?
1:59:37
Can we eliminate that?
1:59:39
Because you're gonna be absent.
Molly Schaeffer
1:59:42
So I mean, I think that, we, you, we're not requiring people to bring their kids at this time.
Gale A. Brewer
1:59:48
But they're bringing them.
1:59:48
They just testified, and I hear that also.
1:59:51
They just testified to that effect.
1:59:52
They said they needed to bring them.
Molly Schaeffer
1:59:54
I understand, but we're we're saying that kids don't have to attend, so we're happy to continue making that message known.
Gale A. Brewer
2:00:00
Why do you think it's not getting across?
Molly Schaeffer
2:00:02
I think people
Gale A. Brewer
2:00:02
Because the panel earlier didn't get across.
Molly Schaeffer
2:00:05
I I understand and I think that we'll just continue to make that message known.
UNKNOWN
2:00:09
Do you
Gale A. Brewer
2:00:10
keep track of the absenteeism of the young people in H and H or any other shelter system who are migrants?
Molly Schaeffer
2:00:17
So I would have to defer to DOE, but they do have students in temporary housing, officers that do help.
Gale A. Brewer
2:00:24
I know what they I'm Yes.
2:00:25
I understand what they got.
2:00:27
What they got and what's happening are 2 different things.
Molly Schaeffer
2:00:29
Fair enough.
Gale A. Brewer
2:00:30
Okay.
2:00:30
And the other thing is we're one city, one administration.
2:00:33
These kids are gonna some are gonna leave.
2:00:35
Right?
2:00:35
That's devastating the schools.
2:00:37
It is devastating the schools where you had, unbelievably great families coming from the migrant community, populating where people had left during the COVID.
2:00:47
So are you do you we're one administration.
2:00:50
Are we thinking about what we can do to keep those kids?
2:00:53
Maybe it's getting rid of the shelter 60 day because then they'll stay in that school.
UNKNOWN
2:00:58
Well, I
Gale A. Brewer
2:00:59
We gotta think about the Department of Education too, not just your silo.
Molly Schaeffer
2:01:03
No.
2:01:03
And I and I appreciate that, and we work really closely with the Department of Education to make sure that there's not, really intense unintended consequences.
2:01:13
I will say that, you know, at this point, the numbers I read before, 70 2% were still in their same school.
2:01:20
So they might have moved their shelter for a variety of reasons.
2:01:22
Some of it has to do with the 60 day notices.
2:01:24
Some people moved out completely from the shelter system, came back, and then were put in whatever shelter we had available at the time, and still their kids stayed in the same school.
2:01:33
And and also the other point that I would make clear here is that as 70% of people have moved on from our shelter system, and, you know, there's lots and lots of people who move on from the traditional shelter system.
2:01:45
This has traditionally been an issue with the Department of Education, and we are hyper focused on making sure we we coordinate and that we make it, as easy as possible for kids.
Gale A. Brewer
2:01:56
Okay.
2:01:56
I mean, just as we speak, parents, parent coordinator schools all panic, just to be honest with you, about the fewer number of students in their schools.
2:02:05
It's bad for the American children who develop friends.
2:02:08
It's bad for the migrants.
2:02:09
It's bad for our It's just bad all around.
2:02:12
We should be stopping any unenrollment by these migrant families.
2:02:17
It's just everything we can do.
2:02:19
With all due respect, maybe it's not your job, but it is this administration's job to do that.
2:02:23
We're not doing it because they're leaving.
2:02:26
No they just take off one day.
2:02:27
We need because they're not feeling that there's enough support for them here.
2:02:31
It's not just case work.
2:02:32
It's saying we are gonna find other ways to keep you here.
2:02:36
There have there's a big administration.
2:02:38
I'm just saying, with all due respect, it's not that kind of arc in my opinion.
