LGISD Enrollment Down 58 from This Time Last Year
Superintendent Andy McHazlett gave an update on student enrollment at Monday night’s school board meeting. He stated that the current enrollment is 1,780 which is 58 students less than the same time last year’s October report of 1,838.
The current numbers include 879 at the elementary school, 293 at the middle school, and 608 at the high school.
Last year at this time there were 939 at the elementary school, 293 at the middle school and 606 at the high school.
His report also included praise for the first Homecoming Parade and the recent Trunk or Treat event. He also gave congratulations for the cross country team, volleyball team, football team and band for recent achievements.
He told the board of upcoming fundraisers that will have most of the proceeds dedicated to the newly reorganized LEPS Foundation which will focus on school improvements, not just athletics. The first one will be a fun run on Nov. 14 at The Jersey Barnyard and the second one a casino night on Jan. 30.
McHazlett advised the board of the dates for the Thanksgiving meals at the schools.
Monday, Nov. 16 - Pre-K, kindergarten, 1st grade and 6th grade.
Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 3rd and 5th grade.
Wednesday, Nov. 18 2nd and 4th grade.
Wednesday, Nov. 11 Middle School and High School.
Assistant Superintendent Stacy Eilers gave a report on the professional development day that was held on Oct. 16. Elementary teachers had classes on brain development and behavior while middle school and high school teachers learned about motivating the unmotivated.
Director of Operations Sharon Muzny told the board that one of the used buses that were purchased earlier this year is now here and in service.
Also during the meeting, Becky Snyder addressed the LGISD school board with her concerns about immigration enforcement concerns at the school. For more on her concerns see Page B4 today.
Becky Snyder addressed the LGISD school board with her concerns about immigration enforcement concerns at the school.
She told the board that “Since June, there have been several multi-agency operations with the Department of Homeland Security in our county. The public was told it was to apprehend dangerous, undocumented people passing through Fayette County. That sounds reasonable until you hear the story I heard recently.”
Below is the story that she described to the board of the experience of one family from La Grange that was recounted to her: “They are a family of five, dad, mom, and three children, one school age. They have valid unexpired work permits and Texas state IDs. They have no criminal records and have lived in La Grange for three years. The mom was stopped with the children in the car coming from West Point because her front plate was missing. When I heard that, I stopped to think, when was the last time I looked to see if my front plate was there? Not something I do regularly.
“Her husband was pulled over behind them in another vehicle because he wanted to be sure the family was okay. He didn’t get out until the officer told him to, and the officer asked for his ID. The officer then told the couple that they had deportation orders and that he had to take one of them into custody. He told the dad he could choose. The dad chose to be taken into custody. That was three months ago.
“Since then, mom has lived in fear of leaving the house and the oldest child who was eight didn’t start school with friends in August because mom is afraid that she might be picked up while he is at school. She doesn’t feel safe in our community, not because of criminals terrorizing our town, but because of law enforcement.
“Both the Fayette County Sheriff and the La Grange Police Departments have signed 287(g) agreements at the highest level, which means local officers participate in the multi- agency operations as well as at other times. I say the highest level because there are three levels and the lowest level does not require our local officers to participate with ICE. Why did they sign the highest level? Money. Lots of it according to our sheriff.
“These agreements create several issues for our students and district. Student absences will likely increase on days when law enforcement presence is high in our county. I am willing to guess that there were more Hispanic students absent on Sept. 22 when I passed 13 law enforcement vehicles from six different agencies, including two out of county, between West Point and Power Plant Road on Hwy. 71 that morning.
“Since these large scale operations are occurring almost monthly, how much will it hurt the already strapped districts funding when it comes toADA (average daily attendance, which state funding is based upon)? More importantly, how much will it impact our students education? The mental health and well being of our Hispanic students is at risk. The family had legal status at the time the dad was taken into custody. We recently learned that he has been deported. As news spreads that legal status doesn’t matter, children will worry about their parents and other family members and sadly themselves. Because the district’s SROs are part of the La Grange PD, I am concerned about a conflict of interest should other officers arrive on campus to take someone into custody. Don’t assume that won’t happen. In a May 2025 Newsweek article, the current sheriff of Fayette County was quoted as saying, ‘I believe if someone is here illegally, they need to be deported regardless of age or location of where they might be found.’ He went on to say, ‘I further believe that anyone, regardless of position, who helps or allows an illegal to circumvent our immigration laws should be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
“Not only did those statements put our SROs in a difficult position, it puts every staff member in the school district, from the superintendent on down, as well as board members, at risk of prosecution. That sounds extreme, doesn’t it? I would have agreed with you five months ago, before I started going out on Highway 71 and seeing the arrests take place.”
“I know this is a big, big ask, but I hope that the board will publicly condemn the actions of city council and county commissioners for putting our students and their families at risk. Those two entities can change the level of the 287(g) agreement at any time to the lower level and eliminate our officers’ involvement.”