Thread: Hundreds Leave ESOL Program in Prince William Co.

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Hundreds Leave ESOL Program in Prince William Co.
March 11, 2008 - 8:45pm

Hank Silverberg, WTOP Radio

WASHINGTON - Prince William County's crackdown on illegal immigration could be having a chilling effect in some local schools.

"It certainly is an anomaly that we would have a little more than 600 fewer students in the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program than what we had at the beginning of the year," says Prince William County school spokesman Ken Blackstone.

"We are always concerned when there's anything that would create an apparent anomaly like this, a drop in enrollment."

Many of the students who left the school system left after the county's crackdown on illegal immigrants started March 3. Not one illegal immigrant has been arrested on felony warrants since the crackdown began.

The ESOL program has been growing rapidly over the last few years. Last September it increased by 1,500 students.

Blackstone says the school system does not know the immigration status of any of the withdrawn students. Federal law prohibits school systems from asking.

There are more than 12,000 students in the ESOL program in Prince William County.

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)


http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=1362626

Good to hear attrition by enforcement is working, apparently.