While schools throughout the state reported droves of Hispanic parents withdrawing their students last week because of implementation of the new immigration law, local schools haven’t seen this reaction, superintendents said Friday.

Andalusia City Schools Superintendent Ted Watson said there are students who are immigrants within the school system.

“We have students who are enrolled in our English as a second language program,” he said. “I think that when people think of the immigration law they think Mexican, but we have children of Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian descent – really a variety of nationalities.”

Watson said that ACS shares the stance of the Alabama Board of Education in that “public schools welcome all children regardless of their race or ethnic background, birthplace of parents and is committed to all students and parents to provide a safe and civil environment in which students can pursue their education.”

Watson said the major requirement in Section 28 of Alabama’s new immigration law is that all students enrolling in public schools on or after Sept. 29, 2011, present an original or certified copy of the student’s birth certificate in order to complete the enrollment process.

“We would like for all of parents and students to know that whether or not they have a copy of their birth certificate, the student will be enrolled and receive full participation in all of the academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs that we offer,” he said. “Obviously, we have had people who are very nervous about it, but we are not trying to send people out of here. We are in the education business, and we will do our job and let others do theirs.”

Opp City Schools Superintendent Michael Smithart said he doesn’t believe the law will have significant impact on school systems, but that could change.

“The major change involved is in reporting,” he said. “Students have always been asked to present a birth certificate. Under the new law, if they can’t, we have certain steps we are required to take, but there is nothing that can, or should, prevent any child from attending school.

“For us, it is about reporting numbers and not specific names of students,” he said.

Smithart said the bill provides no consequences for parents or guardians who simply fail to present a birth certificate or otherwise fail to comply with the school’s efforts to collect data; however, the law does not allow public disclosure of who the unlawful students are.

The information that school systems are required to collect under the act will not be used to specifically identify children, but only for statistical data for the Legislature.

Smithart said he doesn’t believe OCS has any current students who are impacted by the law.

Additionally, the law does not apply to any student enrolled in a public school before Sept. 29. Once a student is enrolled in any school district in Alabama, he or she is always enrolled unless they graduate or withdraw.

Another issue Watson said school systems could be faced with if students begin leaving is the loss of funds.

“This thing could possibly have an effect down south in Mobile and up north if a mass exodus of people leave,” he said. “Every student counts. When one student drops out, funding for the entire system decreases.”

State law requires attendance for all students between the ages of 7 and 17.