The NYC Department of Education told the schools that it plans to enroll 2,350 illegal alien children this year, with more to come. This is after the 5,000 children that ended up in New York state after last year's surge of unaccompanied minors across the border. NYC has already invested $50 million of taxpayer funding for the 1,662 minors that came across the border during the summer.
Parents are worried about the current strain this increase of students will have on their children's education.
"NYC public schools are already failing to meet the needs of the students they have -- 70 percent cannot read, write and do math at grade level. How can they handle thousands of new students competing for the same services without things getting worse," asked Sam Pirozzolo, vice president of the New York City Parents Union.
DOE officials have declined to give out exact numbers of recently enrolled illegal alien children or the costs to the taxpayers. Based on last year's spending, NYC spent $20,749 per student which would bring the total for the migrant kids to $48.7 million. This does not include state mandated English-language instruction, free or reduced-price lunch, and the medical and dental coverage that many of these illegal alien minors will also receive.
Under US law, all children have a right to enroll in school and receive government services, regardless of immigration status. Unless government officials announce that funds will be issued to help, it will be up to the already-struggling schools and local taxpayers to provide these services.
Read more at the New York Post.
