A group of 22 charter schools run by minority educators have pledged to help enroll the influx of migrant kids that have arrived in the city amid a burgeoning crisis — but have gotten the cold shoulder from City Hall.
Mirriam Raccah, the CEO of Black Latinx Asian Charter Collaborative (BLACC), runs a number of charter schools located near emergency migrant shelters and appealed to Mayor Eric Adams’ administration while trying to recruit potential students.
But her missives to the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs have thus far gone unanswered.
“I am writing to offer our assistance with meeting the educational needs of migrant students arriving daily in New York City,” Raccah said in an Aug. 31 letter to Rev. Erick Salgo, assistant commissioner of outreach for the Office of Immigrant Affairs.
“Our schools, many of which are located near shelters and have capacity to accept new students, are eager to support these families.”
The educator added that the schools are prepared to accommodate Spanish-speaking children.
“A number of our schools have English as a New Language teachers and programming to aid transition,” she said. “As community-based schools founded and led by people of color, we aim to provide culturally affirming learning environments for all students.”
The effort by BLACC comes just weeks after Democracy Prep, one of the city’s largest charter school networks with 14 schools in The Bronx and Harlem, started taking in arrivals in at least three schools that currently have no waiting lists.
“We’ve already enrolled 40 [migrant students] across our middle schools and high schools concentrated on the east side of Harlem,” Democracy Prep regional Superintendent Emmanuel George said at the time. “Since the surge has happened, we want to help. We want to bring kids into our doors.”
But Raccah, in the letter, said her charter schools have “faced challenges in accessing and sharing information” about the charter schools with the migrant families. She had hoped to “collaborate productively” with the Adams administration and “connect these families with schools ready to welcome their children.”
The educator also asked Selgado for a list of shelters where migrant students were staying. She also asked about arranging transportation so families could visit the charter schools and getting approval to share school and enrollment materials with parents at the shelters.
“This migrant crisis requires all of us to work together for New York City’s students. As public charters, we are eager to do our part and provide excellent educational opportunities to these children,” Raccah wrote.
“I welcome the chance to speak or meet with you further about how we can support your efforts. Please let me know if you have any questions or how we may collaborate moving forward,” Raccah, said, signing off “with urgency before the first school bell rings.”
Raccah, in a Monday interview, blamed the lack of response from City Hall on officials being swamped by an array of current challenges.
“The city is just overwhelmed,” Raccah said.
She also said the “easiest course” for the city Department of Education and City Hall is to focus on enrolling migrant kids in the traditional public schools they run rather than the independently run, publicly funded charter schools.
The mayor’s office had no immediate comment.
In August, The Democracy Prep network enrolled migrant children at Harlem Prep Middle School, Harlem Prep HS and Democracy Prep Endurance HS.
Other charter schools that have enrolled migrant kids include Family Life Academy in The Bronx, Voice Charter School in Long Island City, Growing up Green in LIC and Jamaica and Hebrew Language Academy in Brooklyn and Staten Island, charter school sector sources said.
More than 19,000 kids in the city’s shelter system are enrolled in NYC public schools, and the vast majority of them are asylum seekers, education officials said last week.
Most of the almost 60,000 migrants in the city’s care speak Spanish, and the DOE has some 1,700 teachers who are fluent in the language, according to School Chancellor David Banks.