Thread: Hamblen schools see significant absences in wake of Grainger raid

Hamblen schools see significant absences in wake of Grainger raid

• By Cliff Hightower, News Editor
• 2 hrs ago

More than 20 percent of Hispanic students in Hamblen County did not attend school Friday, immediately following an IRS raid in Grainger County that included an immigration round up, school records show.

“We anticipated that,” said Dr. Jeff Perry, Hamblen County school superintendent. “We knew a lot of our students and their families were concerned.”

According to Perry, 550 Hispanic students were absent on Friday out of a total of roughly 2,460 Hispanic students that attend Hamblen County schools.


Almost 25 percent of the school system is Hispanic, Perry said.

This was immediately following a raid on Southeastern Provision, a meat packing plant in Bean Station.

Federal and state authorities, including the IRS, Department of Homeland Security and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, descended on the plant Thursday and detained 97 undocumented immigrants.

Of those, 11 faced additional criminal charges, 54 were detained and 32 released.

Perry said Monday he thinks more Hispanic students will be back today after the initial shock of what happened last week.

“We do think attendance will improve today,” he said.


He said the school system will be working with children who missed school due to the event and will work to catch them back up in their academics.

“We take that into consideration and we work with every kids in these situations,” he said.

HOLA Lakeway, a local advocate for Hispanics and Latinos, has set up a gofundme page for “Aid for Families Affected by Raid.” The organization has received almost $35,000 in donations as of press time.

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Council and the Highlander Center have also put together a prayer vigil for 6 p.m. at Hillcrest Elementary School. The event is not affiliated with the school system.

The council has put out numerous releases in the past few days condemning the raid, saying that it has left families separated and devastated with many families unable to sustain themselves because their primary caretaker has been detained.

http://www.citizentribune.com/news/l...aa08a50ff.html

Good! They shouldn't have been in our schools to begin with, these disgusting people should have all already been deported. GET 'EM OUT OF HERE!! ALL OF THEM!!!

GOOD...now use OUR money we spend on schooling illegal aliens on giving teachers raises, security for schools, repairs and stop the overcrowding by illegal aliens that take away care our students need!

LET THEM GRADUATE IN JUNE...THEN NO MORE ILLEGALS SHOULD BE ENROLLED IN OUR SCHOOLS.

THE ILLEGAL PARENTS TAKE THEIR MINOR CHILDREN AND GO HOME!