Q&A
Discussion on school enrollment and placement for asylum seeker children
1:55:43
·
159 sec
Council Member Brewer inquires about school enrollment and placement data for asylum seeker children affected by shelter relocations. Director Schaeffer provides statistics on student enrollment and housing changes.
- 7,600 students in HURC shelters were impacted by 60-day notices
- 41.9% of students remained enrolled in the same school and housing location
- 31% stayed in the same school but moved housing locations
- Brewer emphasizes the importance of keeping students in the same schools
Gale A. Brewer
1:55:43
Now schools, I'm totally focused on the schools.
1:55:46
For school year 23 and 24 and 24, 25 of the students in Hertz with children of the families who were forced to leave their shelter placement after 60 days, what percentage of students and how many were placed in the same borough?
1:56:01
Do you have those numbers?
Molly Schaeffer
1:56:03
I don't have the same borough numbers.
Gale A. Brewer
1:56:05
What what do you have?
Molly Schaeffer
1:56:07
I have the of the there was 7,600 students staying in a HURC shelter from July 23, 2024, who would have been impacted by the 60 day notices.
Gale A. Brewer
1:56:20
Okay.
Molly Schaeffer
1:56:21
And I this is, you know, public data, but of the 7,600 students, 41.9% were still enrolled in the same school and housing location.
Gale A. Brewer
1:56:34
Okay.
Molly Schaeffer
1:56:34
31% were enrolled in the same school and moved housing location, and 14.8 percent were discharged from New York City public schools, 7 percent had moved their shelter location and transferred schools, and 4.5% had transferred schools but not sheltered.
Gale A. Brewer
1:56:51
So, like, say, 42% would be the still in the same school.
1:56:56
That would be your best number.
1:56:58
Right?
1:56:58
41 percent?
Molly Schaeffer
1:56:59
Not necessarily.
1:57:00
It'd be a mix of, 41% and 31%.
Gale A. Brewer
1:57:03
Right.
1:57:04
That's Okay.
1:57:04
And the same you said the same school district.
1:57:06
What was the 31%?
Molly Schaeffer
1:57:08
Was enrolled in the same school and moved housing locations.
1:57:10
So they could have moved in to a shelter down the block.
Gale A. Brewer
1:57:13
Okay.
1:57:14
Alright.
1:57:14
The issue is, if I assume because you have fewer numbers, you're gonna be closing some H and A shelters.
1:57:21
I don't know, but I assume.
1:57:22
So my question would be, can you keep those students in the same school?
1:57:28
Nothing matters more than to be in the same school.
1:57:30
Nothing.
1:57:30
And I really, would like to see the head start and earlier kids also kept in the same school.
1:57:37
Then we have 50 you know, we have all these families staying in the state of New York because they'll be integrated into our great school system.
1:57:45
We have to be thinking that way.
1:57:47
I don't want them to go to Minnesota and Texas.
1:57:49
I want them to stay here because you have you put money into them, in many different ways we have, and I think that they will be great New Yorkers.
1:57:59
So but if you keep moving them around to the schools and the shelters, I don't think that's gonna help.
1:58:04
We don't have that many people left, really.
1:58:05
It's not a huge number.
1:58:07
So So the question is, can we eliminate are you thinking about eliminating this, 30, 60 day and, keeping them in the state of New York?
1:58:17
How how is that thinking possible given what you're dealing with?
1:58:22
Is it possible to think that way?
