PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV has uncovered the positions of the Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) employees that are no longer with the School District of Palm Beach County.
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According to information provided by the district, those positions include:
1 Assistant for Behavioral/Physical Needs
1 School Bus Attendant
1 School Office Assistant
1 Teacher
1 Temporary Administrative Support
3 Custodians
3 School Bus Drivers
3 Substitute Teachers
5 Food Service Assistants
The staffing changes come as TPS for Haitians is ending for hundreds of thousands of people nationwide, creating uncertainty for families, students and school employees across South Florida.
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In Palm Beach County, where school enrollment has already become a growing concern, educators say the impacts could stretch far beyond staffing and leave students desk come the first day of school.
“I think a lot of students are unaware of immigration status of their friends,” said Elizabeth Holmes, a teacher at Dwyer High School.
With the first day of school approaching, Holmes worries some students may have to move to Haiti with their parents, who may have been on TPS, even though the student may be born in the United States.
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“It'll be a big shock when students are not at school,” Holmes said.
The federal policy change affects roughly 350,000 Haitians nationwide.
Many could now face deportation or be forced to leave the country.
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“My biggest concern is we already have students who are living on their own, because their parents have already been deported,” Holmes said. “I feel like more students are going to lose their parents or we're going to lose a lot of students,”
She said many of her students are Haitian, and she worries they could be put in danger if they’re forced to return to the ongoing violence and crime in Haiti.
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The Florida Public Services Union told WPTV’s Kayla McDermott that there’s upwards of 2,000 Haitian students in Palm Beach County that may be impacted by changes to TPS.
The timing is especially concerning because the Palm Beach County School District is already struggling with declining enrollment.
The district lost roughly 7,000 students last year and is projecting another 3,000-student drop this year.
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“The budget is quite attached to the amount of students who enroll,” said Chuck Ridley, director of civic engagement for the Service Employees International Union.
Enrollment matters, because Florida school funding is heavily tied to student population numbers. Fewer students often means less state funding.
To help close budget gaps, the district already eliminated dozens of positions this summer, including 67 media clerks. One of those employees was Tami Slater.
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“I cry one day and other days I'm okay and it's still an impact on me,” Slater said during an interview last month.
Now, district officials say 19 Haitian employees are no longer employed after losing their work authorization connected to TPS. For Holmes, the issue is deeply personal.
“Going back to Haiti, there's so much crime, it's run by gangs,” Holmes said. “It's terrifying to think about students and colleagues having to go back to that environment."
The School District of Palm Beach County released the following statement to WPTV:
“Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is expected to expire today. Without another extension, 19 District employees will be separated from employment today, as all School District employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Additional details regarding federal updates are available via U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Furthermore, the School District of Palm Beach County does not collect or store a student's immigration status. The District has eliminated positions due to enrollment shifts and to balance the District's budget. These enrollment shifts are driven by demographic changes in our region, the rising cost of living in Palm Beach County, and the expansion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship program.”
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