BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Birmingham City Schools started their new school year Monday, but not all students are accounted for.
According to school officials, over 3,400 children are still not registered to attend classes.
“All we know is they haven’t showed up yet, and we want them to show up,” Sherrel Stewart with BCS said.
Stewart says this isn't just an action that affects the students themselves, as state funding is based upon the number of students registered.
“That count begins after Labor Day, so leading up to Labor Day we're trying to make sure everyone is enrolled,” Stewart said.
Bobby Jackson was at the library Tuesday afternoon working on registering his four kids for school.
“I wanted to make sure they get in school, so they have a pretty good head start and get the quality education Birmingham City Schools has to offer,” Jackson said.
Jackson says the process for registering his kids is smooth most of the time. He can do it from the Birmingham City Schools website.
“Sometimes you have a little problem logging in and stuff like that, but the school is pretty good at getting us the information for the stuff we need,” he said.
The school district has trained staff and English translators to ensure every student can get registered.
“We want those families to come on in for whatever reason you may have had a delay, but I can assure you we have the resources to assist you so all you need to do is really get them there," Stewart said. "We have free breakfast and lunch available we just want the students there so that they can learn every day and experience the success of BCS."
Teachers say its critical students get to class as soon as possible, as missing even just a few days can have a major impact on the learning experience. Parents can register students online here.