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Dr. Joshua Childs: Students missing school amid ICE surges

March 31, 2026

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In cities experiencing surges of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, some schools have reported increases in student absenteeism, reportedly due to students’ and parents’ concerns about being detained on the way to or from school. On March 31, 2026, SciLine interviewed Dr. Joshua Childs, an associate professor of educational leadership and policy at The University of Texas at Austin.

TV bundle includes:

Soundbite (SOT)
VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)

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Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)

ANCHOR
WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION RAIDS ON THE RISE… SOME KIDS ARE STAYING HOME FROM SCHOOL BECAUSE OF IT.

VO
IT’S HAPPENING IN PLACES LIKE MINNESOTA… CHICAGO… AND CALIFORNIA.
SCHOOLS LEADERS ARE REPORTING SOME STUDENTS ARE MISSING CLASS… WORRIED THAT ICE AGENTS WILL DETAIN THEM ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL.
DOCTOR JOSHUA CHILDS… AN EDUCATION PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN… SAYS MISSING 18-DAYS OR MORE PUTS KIDS AT A GREATER RISK OF FALLING BEHIND.

SOT
Duration: 0:14
Super: Dr. Joshua Childs, Education Professor at University of Texas – Austin
“And then they’re chronically absent, which impacts academic learning, a connection with peers, connection with other educators in the building. And so can have some deep impact on students’ social, emotional, and academic wellbeing.”

VO
DOCTOR CHILDS SAYS RESEARCH SHOWS A CLEAR LINK BETWEEN ICE RAIDS AND STUDENT ABSENCES… AND THAT SCHOOLS SHOULD FIND WAYS TO HELP KIDS FEEL SAFE IF THEY WANT KIDS TO RETURN TO CLASS.

Raw, full-length interview covers:

How missing significant amounts of school affects children academically, socially, and developmentally;
Whether remote learning options can mitigate any of these effects;
Research showing that ICE raids are linked with student absences;
How research from COVID-era school closures informs researchers’ understanding of the benefits of attending school in person; and
Advice for school leaders and teachers on supporting learning for students who have missed (or are currently missing) a lot of school.