Mass student absences in Gwinnett County on day of national immigration protest
Many Gwinnett County public school parents apparently heeded a call Thursday to keep their children out of school to protest Trump administration immigration policies.
About one-third of Gwinnett County’s public schools had more than 10 percent of their students absent, school district officials reported. The schools with the highest percentage of absences were in schools that are majority Hispanic.
Gwinnett, the state’s largest school district, is about 29 percent Hispanic, state data shows.
Fifty percent of students in Rockbridge Elementary School, in Norcross, were absent by the end of the day Thursday, officials reported. It was one of eight schools that had more than one-third of its students absent.
Lilburn Middle School sent a letter to parents Wednesday urging parents not to keep their children home Thursday.
“We do understand that this is a parental decision. We would like to encourage you to allow your student to be present for learning, as the absence could be considered unexcused and negatively impact student learning,” the letter said.
DeKalb County school leaders issued a similar statement.
Thirty-four percent of students at the Gwinnett school stayed home Thursday, district data showed.
Immigrants were urged to stay home from work and school Thursday in a nationwide protest called A Day Without Immigrants.
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He currently writes about higher education and has assisted in the newsroom’s COVID-19 vaccine coverage. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
