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The number of Hispanic students out of school Monday for the national "A Day Without Immigrants" varied from high school to high school.
Warsaw Community High School Principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield said this morning that 120 of the school's Hispanic students were out Monday, which is higher than normal. That is about 90 percent of the school's Hispanic population.
As long as a parent called in their child's absence, it was considered a vacation day and the student won't face any repercussions. If no parent called in for their student, it was considered truancy.
Brumfield said the school played the day's events low key. She said she heard no reaction from students about the absent Hispanic students. Individuals did talk to the Hispanic students previously about more positive ways to affect change than taking off school.
Asked if any students at Tippecanoe Valley High School were absent Monday because of the boycott, a spokeswoman in the guidance counselor's office said, "They're all showing up so far."
Triton High School Principal Mike Chobanov reported a normal school day with no students absent because of the boycott. With a Hispanic population of less than 5 percent, the boycott did not have an affect on Triton.
Whitko High School only has a "handful" of Hispanic students and they were all in attendance Monday, according to a spokesman.
The attendance office at Manchester High School reported only one Hispanic student absent Monday and that was due to illness.
A call to Wawasee High School Monday went unreturned. When Wawasee was called today, the principal's secretary reported the computer system was down and that information was not available.
The 'Day Without Immigrants' Monday meant a day of boycotting work and school in favor of rallies and marches. The events were intended to show solidarity and send a message that injustice against the immigrant community is unacceptable. The boycott was organized by immigrant activists angered by federal legislation that would criminalize an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants and fortify the U.S-Mexico border, according to an Associated Press story.
The impact on some school systems was significant in other parts of the U.S. In the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District, which is 73 percent Hispanic, about 72,000 middle and high school students were absent - roughly one in every four.
