CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Student absences at schools are still in the tens of thousands since the arrival of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in North Carolina.
What You Need To Know
- The Wake County Public School System reported 10% of its student body, or more than 19,000 students, were out on Tuesday
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reported over 30,000 absences on Monday. On Tuesday, that number was down slightly to 25,000
- Several teachers spoke before the CMS Board of Education Tuesday, asking the district not to act as if things are business as usual when it comes to the impact of Border Patrol presence on some families
- East Mecklenburg High School teacher Rebecca Costas said she has concerns it will be a while before families feel safe again
The Wake County Public School System reported 10% of its student body, or more than 19,000 students, were out Tuesday.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reported over 30,000 absences on Monday. On Tuesday, that number was down slightly to 25,000.
Several teachers spoke before the CMS Board of Education Tuesday, asking the district not to act as if things are business as usual when it comes to the impact of Border Patrol presence on some families.
In addition, they are requesting guidance on how to explain immigration enforcement activity in the city to students.
While the district shared a message with staff, teachers Spectrum News 1 spoke with say it’s still not enough.
Rebecca Costas teaches multilingual learners at East Mecklenburg High School.
“We have a hallway where we do a lot of our contact classes with [these students], their English and their learning linguists development, and it was a ghost town. Our hallway was empty,” said Costas about attendance on Monday.
She shared a photo of her classroom, where she had four students out of 20.
Tuesday night during the Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill addressed the more than 30,000 student absences Monday.
“This week has been hard. There’s not one member in our community that has not been affected by the recent activity in our community,” Hill said.
While the district said there has been no immigration enforcement activity on CMS properties, teachers like Costas voiced their concerns to the school board about this situation.
“I can’t overstate the terror that these families are experiencing, and the communication thus far, including a video recorded only in English, has not provided evidence the district understands its severity,” Costas said.
Tiffany Newkirk, a multilingual teacher at Pineville Elementary, agrees the statements made by the district don’t fully address the fears.
“Those empty seats in my building are not just numbers. They are 5-year-olds and 8-year-olds and 10-year-olds whose families are too afraid to leave their homes,” Newkirk said.
She said students attending school are asking questions.
“Those students who have come sit in hollow classrooms asking, where are my friends? Are they okay? And I don’t have answers for them, not because I’m not paying attention, but because there has been no clear guidance, no language and no support for how I should respond,” Newkirk said.
Costas said it doesn’t get easier with older students.
“We’ve received no kind of training, no kind of resources for how to respond to our students, you know, to how to talk to them about this, perhaps how to talk and communicate with our families. This is a very different kind of trauma,” Costas said.
On Tuesday, CMS sent a video to staff sharing student support services staff are available for families.
“Our priority remains unchanged the safety, well-being, and education of every student. We are committed to ensuring all students receive the education they deserve for a promising future,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Assistant Communications Officer Tom Miner said.
Board Chair Stephanie Sneed said students remain a priority.
“Our schools must remain places where every child and every family feels seen, protected and welcomed,” Sneed said.
The message on the video explains that the district is following all laws regarding immigration. For when enrolling students, schools can’t ask immigration status or social security number. In addition, CMS staff are legally obligated to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information, including immigration status, except if otherwise required by federal law. Furthermore, immigration officials may not gain access to private areas in the schools or documents without a properly executed warrant or subpoena.
Costas said she wants more clarity of actions teachers should follow if Border Patrol is on school property.
“We don’t know when we go on lockdown. We don’t know when teachers and parents are notified. We want internal plans,” Costas said.
Tuesday night, Hill said the district considered virtual learning, but she said there could be unintended consequences to this option, including students not receiving free meals and employees not having job duties without students.
The district is also offering counseling services to employees to help navigate this ongoing situation.
In a statement in response to teachers’ concerns, Board Communications Director Sheri Costa shared the board understands the fear and anxiety the entire community feels about the immigration enforcement activity. Because of community concern, she said the district has shared multiple videos and messages and taken numerous calls and emails on this topic since the federal guidance changed in 2025, determining schools were not protected areas when it came to immigration enforcement.
“To be clear, the district cares deeply about our students and has communicated this in all of our messages to students, families and staff. In these uncharted times, we understand our efforts may not feel like enough as the ultimate hope – including the district’s hope – is that all families can feel safe going to school, work and their community gathering places,” Costa said in a statement.
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