Is federal immigration policy contributing to drop in Fairfax Co. schools enrollment?

Federal immigration policies may be contributing to a drop in Fairfax County Public Schools’ enrollment, Superintendent Michelle Reid said at a recent school board meeting.

Federal immigration policies may be contributing to a drop in Fairfax County Public Schools’ enrollment, Superintendent Michelle Reid said at a recent school board meeting.

During a report on this year’s opening of schools, Reid said the Northern Virginia district is the ninth-largest in the U.S., with 199 schools and centers. But according to school division data, there were 177,007 students enrolled as of Sept. 22. That’s down from the 181,153 who were enrolled in June.

The September count is uncertified, and certified enrollment data is scheduled to be released this month. Reid told board members the school division traditionally sees an increase in students over the first few months of the school year. But Fairfax County School Board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer called the dip one that was a “decrease from what was inspected.”

“We are slightly, obviously lower enrolled this fall than we had predicted,” Reid said during her presentation. “But again, we’re continuing to grow, perhaps not as quickly as other years. We do have some students for whom they’re a bit reluctant to be in school at this time.”

For those students, Reid said, the school system is working on creating an online alternative. They’ll count as Fairfax County students once they’re enrolled in that program.

President Donald Trump’s administration changed a long-standing policy and now allows federal immigration agents to make arrests at schools. In late January, Reid said she fielded questions from concerned families about whether it’s safe to attend athletic events and concerts, or whether it’s safe to send kids to school altogether.

At the Sept. 25 board meeting, meanwhile, Reid said, “I do think clearly some of the immigration policies have impacted families and choices.”

Local news site FFX Now first reported Reid’s comments.

Asked whether there’s a trend of students missing school because of a fear of an interaction with immigration agents, Reid said because it’s so early in the year, it’s “hard to establish absenteeism rates.”

“I think, just something to watch,” Sizemore Heizer said. “Because if that’s the fear, how can we engage our families to make them try to feel safe in this environment to send their kids to school.”

Sizemore Heizer said she’s worried about students “missing out on education because of fear.”

Fewer students could also mean slightly less state funding, which school board member Ilryong Moon called “upsetting.”

Separately, as part of the same presentation, Reid said all classroom positions have been filled, and 99.7% of positions critical to opening schools were filled, the highest mark in three years. Similarly, 96% of bus routes were on time for the first day of school, and there was a 48% dip in bus driver vacancies.

The district also gave out 28,000 new laptops to fifth and sixth graders and upgraded 50,000 existing laptops for elementary schoolers.

School board member Ricardy Anderson said staff openings have “always been a high concern, and it is very exciting, and not to mention comforting to parents to know that their students, their children, are starting the school year with a teacher and not with the long-term sub.”

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