Crowded protests help empty some classrooms in Jersey Tuesday, May 02, 2006 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff Yesterday's protests for immigrants' rights spilled over into the classroom as thousands of students across the state took the day off. In Paterson public schools, about a quarter of the students took the day off in light of the national demonstrations. Perth Amboy's usual attendance rate was down by a third, and New Brunswick's was down by even more, with the high school reporting only about half the usual attendance, officials said. In Passaic, a preschool that normally serves more than 300 students had just 100 students yesterday. That left classrooms nearly empty and gave school officials time to complete the school's outdoor butterfly garden. "We decided to use the day to finish up the project," said Maria Kenney, principal of School 17. "It ended up the perfect day for it." School officials said they handled the absences yesterday like any other day by marking the students as unexcused. But in Elizabeth, for instance, officials conceded there was some sympathy in their largely Hispanic city for the cause of immigrant rights. "This is definitely not something we would condone for students, but we realize these are frustrating times for a lot of people," said Donald Concalves, the district's spokesman. The high absentee rates were not widespread across all immigrant-rich communities. In Paterson, some schools reported no appreciable drop-off at all, a spokeswoman said. Newark officials said attendance was normal at all of their schools, including in the predominantly Hispanic North Ward. "The only crisis is (a private preschool provider) lost some of its staff to the protests," said superintendent Marion Bolden. "We had to pull some of ours to help out." Most school officials said yesterday that they hadn't expected such a high rate of absenteeism. And some also attributed the absences to rampant rumors in the Latino community of possible law-enforcement sweeps of illegal immigrants. "There was a lot of uncertainty (among parents) about what would happen today, and I think for safety's sake, they just chose to keep them home," said John Rodecker, the Perth Amboy superintendent. It's impossible to gauge the number of public school students who are undocumented or recent immigrants, as state law dictates districts can only ask a student's residency, not his or her citizenship or place of origin. But the wave of immigration that has swept the state has clearly been reflected in the schools as well, and about 60,000 students do not speak English as their primary language, according to the state. Kenney, the Passaic principal, said she heard from a few parents last week that this could be a light day, but never expected so many would keep their children out. "The parents wanted to apologize, let us know it was nothing personal," she said. "I told them to do what they have to do." John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at jmooney@starledger.com or (973) 392-1548. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.