Dive Brief:
- Twenty New York school districts have been ordered to change their enrollment policies after it was found that they were making it difficult for children of undocumented immigrants to enroll.
- The New York Department of Education began looking into these illegal practices in October after a New York Times feature reported that children of undocumented immigrants in Long Island were being denied access to school because their families couldn't provide the required citizenship or guardianship documents.
- The new mandate prohibits districts from asking for documents such as Social Security Cards and visa expiration dates, which undocumented immigrants wouldn't be able to produce.
Dive Insight:
In recent years, the U.S. has seen a spike in children from Central America. Many are coming from Honduras and El Salvador to escape gang violence and poverty, and a large number are coming to the states unaccompanied. When the The New York Times ran its initial assessment of the illegal enrollment procedures, it explained how many of these students were forced to stay at home for months. In August, the U.S. Department of Education issued a detailed fact sheet on the responsibilities of each state, which reiterated how every child, regardless of where they are from, is guaranteed the right of an education.