District defends enrollment policy

The New York Civil Liberties Union identified the East Meadow School District as one of many districts statewide that requests specific enrollment information that could potentially reveal immigrant status.

The group said it reviewed the enrollment policies for 139 districts — about a fifth of the state’s districts — in which it had documented similar problems in a 2010 study. East Meadow requires a social security card and birth certificate for enrollment, according to the NYCLU, which said could have a “chilling effect” on an immigrant attempting to register.

East Meadow superintendent Louis DeAngelo said requesting a proof of birth date is a common practice among school districts in order to provide the best possible learning environment for each child.

The NYCLU survey implied that districts could potentially use this information to deny enrollment to immigrants — illegal under federal law — but gave no evidence that any has actually done so. The study was triggered by recent media reports that the Hempstead School District prevented 34 Hispanic children from receiving an education. The Hempstead School District was not included in the NYCLU survey.

On Oct. 17, the state education department launched an investigation of enrollment policies in Hempstead, and said the district subsequently committed to enroll the students. On Oct. 23, the education department and attorney general said it would conduct a compliance review of school districts’ enrollment policies and procedures for unaccompanied minors and other undocumented students. The review, officials said, will focus on districts that experience the largest influx of unaccompanied minors from Central or South America.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Settlement, 1,250 unaccompanied children between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 were placed by the ORR into the homes of sponsors — typically family members — who live in Nassau County.