More than 1,000 NYC kids leave school after hitting shelter stay limit, data shows

More than 1,000 children living in New York City shelters left their public schools after their families were forced to move due to Mayor Eric Adams’ policy that limits their stays to 60 days, according to data released by the City Council on Monday.

The data shows 678 students left the school system entirely from Jan. 2 through March 4. Another 302 were forced to switch schools during the same period. The report also says 82% of the public school students whose families were subjected to the new shelter policies did not have to move schools.

Adams in October announced a 60-day limit for families with school-aged children living in city shelters, justifying the move as a way to handle the surge of migrants who have come to New York City over the last two years. Families began receiving notices to move out of their shelters after they’d hit the limit in January.

More than 8,000 families were forced to relocate and re-apply for entry into the shelter system in the first two months in which the policy was active, according to the Council data.

Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for City Hall, told Gothamist that 60% of the more than 189,000 migrants who have come through the city's care since 2022 have taken "the next steps in their journeys," and "no families with children have been forced to sleep on the streets."

"Our 30-and-60-day notices are one tool in our very limited toolbox to help migrants move on because, as we have repeatedly said, New York City is long past its breaking point," Mamelak said in an email. "We are simply out of space and resources to continue to shelter tens of thousands of migrants indefinitely as hundreds more continue to enter our care every single day. As notices expire for families with children, we continue to do everything in our power to minimize impacts as they take the next steps – especially for children already enrolled in our schools – and provide opportunities to re-apply for shelter if needed."

Mamelak said the city needs more help from the state – with resettling migrant families upstate – and from the federal government – by allowing migrants to immediately work upon arriving.

Councilmember Alexa Avilés, who chairs the Committee on Immigration, said in a statement that applying for asylum status is already difficult enough for families who are living in shelters, and throwing students out of school is making it even harder.

“With one out of five K-12 students uprooted from their education, we see from these numbers, much like in the Adams administration’s budget proposals, the depths of cruelty the administration is willing to go for no rational reason,” Avilés said. “This policy is as horrific as it is embarrassing.”