Hispanic student enrollment likely to dip

‘Confusion or fear’ cited in 3 to 5 percent drop in Latino attendance in southwest Houston

Some school officials and state leaders raised concerns Thursday over an apparent dip in student enrollments across the greater Houston area, particularly among Hispanic students.

State Sen. Sylvia Garcia, several law enforcement officials and trustees from Houston ISD, Aldine ISD and Goose Creek CISD said at a news conference that while firm enrollment numbers for the new school year will not be available for at least another week, anecdotal information from principals and others shows a dip in the number of Hispanic students attending local schools.

Garcia, a Houston Democrat, worried that a combination of students still displaced by Hurricane Harvey and fears over immigration actions may have led parents to keep their children home rather than enrolling them in local schools.

“Whether it’s because of confusion or fear, please do not allow your child to fall behind in their studies,” Garcia said. “Schools are a safe place for students and families, and the education of all our children is critical to the future of our community.”

Houston ISD Trustee Sergio Lira said he is still waiting on firm enrollment numbers from the district but that some principals of predominately Hispanic schools in southwest Houston reported a 3 to 5 percent enrollment dip. In a statement, the district said preliminary numbers gathered Thursday showed a less than 2 percent dip in student enrollment across the board when compared to last year and that decreases are evident “across several ethnic groups.”

The most recent data from the Texas Education Agency shows the proportion of Hispanic students in statewide and local schools decreased slightly in the 2017-18 school year for the first time in at least seven school years, although the raw number of Hispanic students has continued to rise.

In Harris County, Hispanic enrollment at traditional and charter schools dropped from55.47 percent of all students in 2016-17 to 55.41 percent in 2017-18. Even though the proportion of Hispanic students dipped, raw numbers show 300 more Hispanic students enrolled in Harris County schools over that same time period.

numbers are similar statewide. The share of Hispanic students dropped from 52.42 percent to 52.37 percent over the same time period — the first decrease in the share of Hispanic students logged over a sevenyear period. Still, the raw number of Hispanic students statewide grew by nearly 20,000 from 2016-17 to 2017-18. Recent changes

The slight decrease in the rates of Hispanic students enrolling in Texas public schools comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has cracked down on legal and illegal immigration across the Southern border. The administration has flagged anyone here illegally as a priority for deportation, compared to the Obama administration’s focus on migrants who committed dangerous crimes. Immigrants who have lived here illegally for decades have been deported after appearing at regular check-ins with immigration agents and at green card interviews. The White House briefly separated immigrant parents and children at the southern border, before suddenly rescinding the controversial policy amid outrage this summer.

The administration has also sought to make it harder for legal immigrants, inter cluding finalizing a new proposed rule that would make it more difficult to obtain a green card or any type of visa if immigrants or their dependents, including their American children, have used an expanded range of public benefits from food stamps to the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for most benefits, but their U.S.-born children are.

Those actions have led to considerable fear among immigrants nationwide. A 2017 survey by the Los Angeles Initiative found that 37 percent of that county’s residents worried about being deported. Of those who expressed concern, 80 percent said they, a friend or a family member would be at greater risk of being deported if they enrolled in government-provided education, health or housing program.

Another factor in lower rates of Hispanic enrollment could stem from demographic changes, said Stephen Klineberg, a demographics expert and sociology professor at Rice University. He said growth rates among Hispanics of all ages has slowed in Texas and elsewhere as fewer immigrants come to the country and as birthrates among Hispanic mothers fall. The Institute for Family Studies found that birth rates among Hispanic women fell from about 2.85 per woman to 2.1 between 2008 to 2016, and the Pew Research CenThe found that growth rates among Hispanic people nationwide has remained relatively flat since 2016.

“It’s a slowing growth or a slight decrease; it’s not a big dramatic thing,” Klineberg said. “But it’s part of an evolving reality of life in America these days.” Root cause

Still, in Harris County, Klineberg said the vast majority of younger people are either black or Hispanic, and folks over the age of 60 tend to be disproportionately white.

Garcia said she has not seen data to suggest that population growth among Hispanic people has slowed or decreased.

Lira with Houston ISD said Hurricane Harvey may be the most obvious culprit of enrollment declines but still worried parents may be keeping their students at home out of fear of immigration actions. He said national rhetoric disparaging immigrants and Hispanic citizens may have driven families into the shadows.

“I do want to stress the importance to all families and community members that our schools are safe and we do not give out any information to any government agency,” Lira said. “Students have a right to a free public education in our country.”