During Friday's broadcast of Huntsville radio WVNN's "The Dale Jackson Show," State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) spoke about the decreasing number of public school students in Alabama.
According to Orr, of the 5,800 students who have reportedly left public schools, a significant portion of their departure is likely tied to increased immigration enforcement.
Orr told host Dale Jackson about a recent conversation he had with a system superintendent.
"I was talking to a superintendent just this week, and I asked them about decreasing numbers," Orr said. "I said, 'Have you seen a decline in the amount of non-English ELL students coming into your system?' And he said, 'Oh, absolutely, we have some pullouts and people that were there in the spring, but did not show up in the fall."
Orr believes the cut in students is largely due to efforts from the Trump administration and that illegal aliens are likely moving to find more favorable areas.
"I think I can attribute a lot of this to President Trump and his job of removing those who are not here legally from the country," he posited. "The child may be a citizen because of birthright citizenship, but mom and or dad were not, and so they decided to move somewhere safer, or move out of the country."
Also of note, a significant portion of students have taken advantage of the CHOOSE Act and departed public schools for private institutions.
The drop in the number of public school students across Alabama represents the largest decrease in 40 years.
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